Aircraft

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money has been spent in each year since 2002-03 on maintenance of the Nimrod MR2 fleet; and what is proposed to be spent each year until the fleet goes out of service expressed as the cost per aircraft.

Adam Ingram: A number of areas within the Department incur expenditure on the RAF's Nimrod MR2 fleet. The financial information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost. The figures provided in the following table are the logistic support costs of the Defence Logistics Organisation that can be directly attributed to the Nimrod fleet and are for the maintenance, repair and modification costs of boththe Nimrod MR2 and the Nimrod Rl airframes.
	
		
			  Financial Year  Average cost per aircraft (£ million) 
			 2002-03 2 
			 2003-04 2 
			 2004-05 2 
			 2005-06 3 
			 2006-07 3 
			 2007-08 3 
			 2008-09 3 
			 2009-10 3 
			 2010-11 4 
			  Notes: 1. Staff costs are not included. 2. Costs have not been adjusted to account for the recent loss of Nimrod MR2 XV230. 3. Costs rounded to the nearest million.

Iraq

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his latest assessment is of  (a) the movement of (i) terrorists and (ii) weapons acrossthe Iran-Iraq border and  (b) the impact of such movements on the security situation in Iraq.

Des Browne: We continuously monitor and assess the security situation on the Iran/Iraq border. We assess that there is some movement of terrorists and weapons across the border and that this contributes to the violence and instability in Iraq.
	We continue to press Iran to cut its links with armed groups and to do more to improve border security and fight terrorism.
	There can be no justification for any country encouraging violence against our forces in Iraq, who are there at the request of the democratically elected Iraqi Government under a UN mandate.

UK Defence Facilities

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has held with Halliburton and KBR; and if he will seek the assurances of thetwo companies on their continued commitment to its UK defence facilities, with particular reference to (a) Devonport dockyard and  (b) Appledore shipyard.

Adam Ingram: My noble Friend the Ministerfor Defence Procurement (Lord Drayson) met representatives of the company on 11 July to discuss a range of issues including the developing maritime industrial strategy.
	Halliburton-KBR is, currently, a single commercial entity which through its majority (51 per cent.) shareholding in Devonport Management Ltd (DML) owns and operates Devonport Royal Dockyard and is a prime support contractor to the Royal Navy providing comprehensive through-life support for submarines, surface ships and equipments. Officials maintain regular contact with both DML and its parent company Halliburton-KBR on all aspects of our joint business interests. The Appledore yard is not normally used for defence purposes.
	Recently Halliburton has stated its intention to spin off KBR as a separate entity, and officials have sought assurances that the UK's strategic interests, which are protected by conditions in the dockyard sale agreement, will be preserved. Halliburton have indicated readiness to provide these, but they remain to be negotiated.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many American Predator B unmanned aerial vehicles are planned to be purchased and at what  (a) unit and  (b) total cost.

Adam Ingram: We intend to procure two American Predator B unmanned air vehicles. The total acquisition cost is expected to be in the region of$80 million. US Congress is still to approve the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Case. Definitive costs, including unit cost, will not be known until the US Air Force has replied to the UK MOD Letter of Request, which is expected by the end of the year.

Wounded Soldiers

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors were taken into account when deciding that injured soldiers being treated in Selly Oak Hospital in the West Midlands should be treated in general wards rather than military wards; and if hewill make a statement.

Derek Twigg: No wards at Selly Oak Hospital are specifically reserved for military patients. Although Service patients are nursed with other Service patients when this is clinically feasible, the over-riding factor in the treatment of any patient must be their clinical condition and need. The patient must be placed inthe most appropriate specialist environment, with associated equipment and trained personnel who have the necessary skill sets. Furthermore, the current requirement for hospital in-patient beds for military patients is relatively low. For example, a total of only 13 military patients were overnight inpatients at all the Birmingham hospitals on the night of 19-20 October.
	Nevertheless, steps are being taken to ensure that military patients do not feel "cut off" from the military community. There is a significant military medical staff presence at Selly Oak, involved in the care of Service patients. They are assisted by the staff of the Aeromedical Evacuation Cell, the Military Patient Administration Cell and the Defence Medical Welfare Services. The military chain of command also works to maintain links between the individual patient and their parent single Service unit.
	As my right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary told the House on 10 October, we have increased the number of military nurses in Selly Oak; we are establishing a military managed ward in partnership with Selly Oak Hospital that we plan to have operational by the end of the year; and we are improving the welfare package for our injured troops at Selly Oak and in hospitals elsewhere—including a daily allowance to meet extra costs while they are inpatients and improved allowances for their families.

2012 Olympics

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who is responsible for appointments to the Olympic Delivery Authority; whether postsare advertised; how many persons applied for each existing post; how many were shortlisted for interview; what criteria were adopted for  (a) accepting and (b) rejecting a candidate; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: Under Schedule 1, section 6(1) of the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006, I am responsible for appointing the first Chief Executive, after consulting the Chairman, and the Mayor of London. The post was advertised. Thirty four applications for the post were received of which six were short listed. All candidates were assessed against the following criteria:
	Proven track record of success in:
	a. leading the delivery of complex high profile, multi-billion pound, innovative projects on time and to budget;
	b. setting and shaping successful large-scale delivery focused organisations that can adapt to evolving priorities and responsibilities;
	c. motivational leadership, harnessing and developing high performing delivery focused teams;
	d. successfully managing hugely complex procurement arrangements, including public and private funding streams;
	e. rigorous financial management with commercial acumen, a strong record in cost control and managing complex financial budgets to high standards of probity;
	f. leading, managing, and developing complex high profile public/private sector partnerships;
	g. working with local communities and interest groups on major projects at this level to ensure public support for them;
	h. motivating people and brokering collaborative working relationships with a very wide range of key stakeholders;
	i. maintaining a positive personal and organisational profile, a high level of political awareness and an understanding of how to respond effectively to parliamentary, public and media scrutiny.
	Evidence of a well-developed knowledge and sophisticated appreciation of the strategic issues and challenges facing both the public and private sectors in delivering projects of this nature.
	All other appointments are the responsibility of the Olympic Delivery Authority. In accordance with normal public sector best practice the Olympic Delivery Authority's rules for recruitment provide for this to be done by open competition and for appointment on merit.

Government Social Research Service

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost was ofthe Government Social Research Service in her Department in each of the last five years; how many projects have been completed by the Service in that period; and how many people are employed in the Service in her Department.

David Lammy: The estimated costs set out in the table are based on salary costs for members of the GSR employed by DCMS. They are estimates based on 2005-06 capitation rates and take account of the fact that one GSR staff member is also a member of the Government Economic Service.
	
		
			   Number of staff employed in DCMS who are GSR members  Estimated annual salary costs  Number of completed projects 
			 2002-03 1 35,944 n/a 
			 2003-04 2 89,912 5 
			 2004-05 2 89,912 6 
			 2005-06 4 181,349 7 
			 2006-07 4 181,349 5 
			 n/a = not available(1) The number of completed projects relates to projects funded from the DCMS central research budget.

Public Libraries

Dennis Skinner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding has been allocated to public libraries in Derbyshire in the last five years.

David Lammy: This information is not held centrally. As with the other 148 library authorities in England, core Government funding for libraries in Derbyshire is paid as part of the Local Government Financial Settlement.
	The annual public library statistics, published bythe Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), contain information relatingto total revenue income per 1,000 population, total revenue expenditure per 1,000 population and population data, from which can be inferred the amount of core funding allocated by Derbyshire county council for its public libraries. The House of Commons Library holds the most up to date statistics (2004-05) and those for the preceding four years.

Cyclists

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the proportion of cyclists aged under 16 wearing helmets in each of the last five years.

Stephen Ladyman: Surveys of cycle helmet wearing rates are carried out for the Department about every two years. These show that cycle helmets were worn by15 per cent. of children in 1999 and in 2002 and 14 per cent. in 2004. The 2006 survey of cycle helmet wearing rates is currently under way and will report next year.
	There is a significant difference in cycle helmet wearing rates between boys and girls. In the 2004 survey, 11 per cent. of boys wore helmets and 26 per cent. of girls.

Driving Test Centres (Worksop)

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will retain Worksop as a driving test centre.

Stephen Ladyman: The Driving Standards Agency intends to retain a driving test centre (DTC) in Worksop. Worksop DTC is currently situated in premises owned by the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA). The DCA have served noticewhich terminates our tenancy agreement on the31 March 2007. A potential replacement property has been identified in Worksop.
	DSA should be in a position to relocate to its new premises in time for the expiry of the occupancy agreement at the end of March 2007.

Railways

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria were used to determine the outcome of the South West trains franchise; and what the cost difference is between the new and old contracts.

Tom Harris: The process used to evaluatebids was the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) evaluation model applicable to suppliers to the public sector. This approach utilised a scoring methodology assessing the bidder's approach, deployment, assessment and review, results/evidence (RADAR) to the contribution of 22 operational criteria to the achievement of the three principal delivery plans of performance, revenues and costs.
	The current franchise subsidy committed for the last year of the franchise (which expires in February 2007) is £120 million. The new franchise will provide, over its 10 year term, a net premium of £1,191 million.

Railways

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Transport 
	(1)  what plans he has to ensure thatthe £1.3 billion payment required to be made to the Treasury as part of the East Coast Main Line rail franchise agreement is safeguarded;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure continuation of the East Coast Main Line rail service following GNER's parent company's default on its bond payment in the United States and filing of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: GNER has met all its contractual obligations, including the making of premium payments. The Department continues to monitor the Sea Containers position closely. The Secretary of State has legal powers to ensure the continued delivery of rail services on any franchise.

Road Safety

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the proportion of serious road traffic accidents that have involved a speed limit breach in each year since 1994.

Stephen Ladyman: The percentage of serious personal injury road traffic accidents that have 'exceeding the speed limit' as a contributory factor in 2005 is available in the article "Contributory factors to road accidents" published on 28 September 2006. These data arenot available for personal injury road accidents priorto 2005.
	A copy of the article "Contributory factors to road accidents" is available in the Libraries of the House.

Roads

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of new  (a) motorway and  (b) trunk road have been built in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer the right hon. Member to my answers of 19 December 2005,  Official Report, column 2321W, and 27 June 2005,  Official Report, columns 1263-66W, for the information between 1997 and2005. Between 19 December 2005 and 12 October 2006 19.7 miles of trunk motorway and 9.9 miles of all-purpose trunk road schemes were completed.

Safety Cameras

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made to the contribution to road safety made by speed cameras; and whether he has made an estimate of the number of road traffic fatalities avoided by the use of road traffic cameras.

Stephen Ladyman: The independent four-year evaluation report of the National Safety Camera Programme assessed the effectiveness of cameras and found that after allowing for the long term trend, there was a42 per cent. reduction in death and injury at camera sites, including a reduction of over 100 fatalities per year. The report, published on 15 December 2005, is available in the Library of the House, and on the Department's website.

Transport Innovation Fund

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria will be used to judge the next round of bidding for Transport Innovation Fund grants; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The January 2006 Transport Innovation Fund guidance (http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_about/documents/pdf/dft_about_pdf_611056.pdf) set out the requirements bidders would need to satisfy to reach TIF programme entry. Schemes will be judged by their performance against five main criteria:
	a. Fit with national, regional and local strategy.
	b. Economic appraisal and value for money—based on the DfT's New Approach to Appraisal ("NATA");
	c. Deliverability—based on the methodology for the development of a Major Scheme Business Case;
	d. Financial—Funding sources, financial risk and financial sustainability;
	e. Commercial—the strategy for procurement and management of commercial risks.
	Further detailed guidance on business case requirements will be published shortly.

Afghanistan

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government have taken to improve the functioning of the banking system in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Much of the banking sector in Iraq is state owned and in a very poor financial condition.The range of financial services available is very limited. Restructuring of the banking system is widely identified as a high priority in creating the conditions for non-oil economic growth. The United States (US) has led on banking sector reform in partnership with the Iraqi authorities. This will remain a priority for the Government of Iraq in the coming years. DFID works with the Ministry of Finance in Iraq to take forward other essential reforms including reform of state subsidies, promoting public investment and reforming the oil sector.
	In Afghanistan the situation is similar. Despite some progress in recent years the banking sector remains extremely weak. As with Iraq, the sector is dominated by the state owned banks but in Afghanistan financial services, such as money transfers, are often carried out under the informal Hawala system. The US has also led on banking sector reform in Afghanistan. At the request of the Government of Afghanistan, DFID has focused on assisting budget planning and execution and on support to tax reform, where we are the lead donor.

Departmental Expenditure

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on organising and hosting conferences in the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: Conferences are organised andpaid for (through a combination of sole and joint funding arrangements) by divisions throughoutthe Department. The information relating to each conference could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department gives to orphans in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Although there are no reliable statistics for the number of orphans in the country, USAID report that there are 5,000 orphans in Baghdad alone.
	DFID support to orphans has been through our Civil Society Service Fund (CSF), worth £5 million over two years, which focuses on strengthening the capacity of Iraqi civil society organisations to better address the needs of poor and vulnerable groups, especially women and young people. We have, for example, funded a project which provides support to widow-headed households and orphans in central Iraq.
	In addition, DFID has made a £30 million contribution to the United Nations trust fund, part of which supports the activities carried out by UNICEF to help children and vulnerable groups including orphans. Examples of UNICEFs work in Iraq include:
	Supporting the Iraqi Ministry of Health to carry out measles/mumps/rubella and polio campaigns, this has reached 95 per cent. of targeted children and ensures that Iraq's polio-free status is maintained.
	In collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF continues to implement the Targeted Nutrition Programme, with operates in 36 districts (population7.2 million) with high levels of malnutrition and poverty.
	UNICEF supports the promotion of rights and participation of children, with efforts to build and strengthen a protective environment for children through community-based strategic approaches.
	UNICEF funds effective mine risk education programmes.
	Further information on DFID's Iraq programme can be found at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/countries/asia/iraq.asp

Post Conflict Reconstruction Unit

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the role is of the Post Conflict Reconstruction Unit; how much funding the unit has received in each of the last three financial years; what funding is planned for the unit in each of the next three financial years; in which countries it has been operational since its inception; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: I refer the hon. Member to the reply the International Development Secretary gave on the role of the Post Conflict Reconstruction Unit (PCRU) on 20 July 2006,  Official Report, column 577W.
	The PCRU spent £1.6 million in financial year (FY) 04/05, £3.7 million in FY 05/06, and has an allocation of £10.5 million for FY 06/07 and £10.5 million in FY 07/08. Funding for FY 08/09 and FY 09/10 will be determined next year following the outcome of Comprehensive Spending Review.
	The unit has been operational in the following countries since its inception:
	In Afghanistan, it facilitated an assessment and plan for all of the UK's involvement in Helmand Province including activities to help achieve security, promote economic development, to help reduce the production and trafficking of illicit drugs and to assist in the creation of a provincial government that is able to plan for, and deliver, basic services. It has then provided seven staff and consultants over the last eight months, prior to the establishment of longer-term staffing arrangements by DFID and FCO, to help design and implement specific programmes including establishing a Provincial Development Council to determine priorities for the province and enhancing coordination between the Afghan army and police. They have also helped deliver quick impact programmes such as better irrigation, more reliable power supply in a hospital, protection for police facilities and extending reception of the BBC World Service Pashto Service. PCRUhas also provided the majority of the staff of the Strategic Delivery Unit in the British embassy in Kabul, which monitors the impact of all UK activities in Afghanistan and helps to ensure consistency in delivering UK's security, counter-narcotics and development objectives;
	In Iraq, it is providing the team leader and key support staff for the UK-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Basra which coordinates and helps deliver UK, US and Danish assistance to the Iraqi government in the south, focusing on the Basra Province. The PRT has enabled the Basra Provincial Council identify its priorities and is helping the council turn these into specific projects in areas such as water supply and economic development, secure funding from central government and put in place the systems needed to ensure effective implementation. It has worked closely with the British military to ensure the complementarity of their quick impact projects with the priorities of the Council;
	In Sudan, it is helping finance and manage a project to enable the Africa Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) to promote the benefits of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) to encourage non-signatories to join;
	In Lebanon during the war, PCRU supported cross-government assessments of the emerging crisis and identification of options for the UK's involvement in Lebanon's recovery. Subsequently, it has helped the British embassy develop projects to contribute to peace building and reconstruction through seconding a member of staff, and contributed to developing proposals for British Government support to enhancing the Lebanese government's ability to bring stability to the south;
	It has also provided advice on specific British security and justice sector programmes (including policing) in Yemen, Sri Lanka, the Balkans and the Occupied Territories.

Best Practice Scheme

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff in  (a) each Government Department in Northern Ireland, including the Northern Ireland Office, and  (b) the voluntary and community sectors have participated in the Northern Ireland best practice scheme in the last12 months.

David Hanson: The following table shows the number of staff in each Northern Ireland Department and the community and voluntary sectors who have booked as delegates for events run as part of the Northern Ireland best practice scheme. A figure is also provided for the number of other public sector employees who booked places. The figures cover the period October 2005 to September 2006.
	
		
			  Department/organisation  Number of places booked 
			 Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister 8 
			 Department of Agriculture and Rural Development 19 
			 Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure 4 
			 Department of Education 3 
			 Department for Employment and Learning 13 
			 Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment 6 
			 Department of the Environment 28 
			 Department of Finance and Personnel 72 
			 Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety 16 
			 Department for Regional Development 28 
			 Department for Social Development 37 
			 Northern Ireland Office 2 
			 Voluntary and community organisations 43 
			 Other public sector organisations 320

Fire Service

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many fire officers in Northern Ireland have been hospitalised as a result of being assaulted while on duty in the last 12 months.

Paul Goggins: No firelighters have been hospitalised as a result of assaults while on duty in the last12 months.

Hospital Staff (Assaults)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many accident and emergency hospital staff in Northern Ireland have been the victims of assault while on duty in each of the last three years, broken down by hospital.

Paul Goggins: Recorded figures for assault of accident and emergency hospital staff while on duty in each of the last three years are:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2006 142 
			 2005 112 
			 2004 144 
		
	
	The figures broken down by hospital are as follows:
	
		
			  Trust  2006  2005  2004 
			 Altnagelvin 9 10 18 
			 Armagh and Dungannon 0 1 0 
			 Belfast City 51 14 45 
			 Causeway 4 0 17 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge 0 0 0 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital 5 5 9 
			 Downe Hospital 1 1 1 
			 Lagan Valley Hospital 2 1 1 
			 Mater 17 19 20 
			 Newry and Mourne 1 5 1 
			 Royal Group of Hospitals 12 3 9 
			 Erne Hospital 12 24 0 
			 Tyrone County Hospital 3 13 0 
			 Ulster 9 10 20 
			 Antrim Hospital 11 3 2 
			 Mid Ulster Hospital 4 1 1 
			 Whiteabbey Hospital 1 2 0 
			 Total 142 112 144 
		
	
	My Department is fully committed to improving health and safety protection for all Health and Personal Social Services (HPSS) staff. Measures have been put in place to minimise risks to staff by installing panic buttons in A and E units, toughened glass at reception areas and CCTV cameras. A Zero Tolerance Group has been established and are currently reviewing procedures in relation to risk assessment and management of violent incidents against staff to ensure the safety of employees while at work.

Hospital Staff (Assaults)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many hospital staff in Northern Ireland have been hospitalised as a result of assault while on duty in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: There have been no recorded instances of hospital staff having been hospitalised as a result of an attack while on duty in each of the last three years.
	Measures have been put in place to minimise risks to staff including 'the guardian angel personal security system', personal alarms to reduce the risk to lone workers, installation of panic buttons in A and E units, toughened glass at reception areas and CCTV cameras. A Zero Tolerance Group has been established and are currently reviewing procedures in relation to risk assessment and management of violent incidents against staff to ensure the safety of all Health and Personal Social Services (HPSS) employees while at work.

Roads

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the expected completion date is for the upgrading of the Belfast to Dublin Road; what sections are programmed to be upgraded; when the upgrading is scheduled; what sections have no dates for planned upgrading; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to my hon. Friend in response to this question.
	 Letter from Malcolm McKibbin, dated 23 October 2006:
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding what the expected completion date is for the upgrading of the Belfast to Dublin Road; what sections are programmed to be upgraded; when the upgrading is scheduled and what sections have no dates for planned upgrading.
	As this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
	The Belfast-Dublin link forms part of one of the 5 Key Transport Corridors at the upper tier of the region's long distance routes. The Department for Regional Development's Roads Service is committed to upgrade the northern part of this link, comprising the M1/A1 to at least dual carriageway standard by 2009.
	The following table provides details of improvement schemes affecting this route that are included in Roads Service's current Strategic Route Improvement Programme. These include:
	schemes already under construction; and
	high priority schemes in a preparation pool that are being processed through the statutory procedures that are expected to be implemented within the next 5 years or so subject to clearing the statutory procedures, having a satisfactory economic appraisal and the availability of funds at the time.
	
		
			  Scheme  Description  Status  Timetable 
			 M1/Westlink Upgrade Widen 2.6 km of motorway and 1.4 km of dual carriageway to 3+3 lanes including 2 underpass junctions. Under construction Work has commenced. Anticipated completion spring 2009 
			 A1 Loughbrickland to Beech Hill Upgrade 9.0 km of single carriageway to standard dual carriageway Under construction Work has commenced. Anticipate completion November 2006 
			 A1 Newry to Dundalk Link Road (NI Section) 4.3 km of high standard dual carriageway with no central reserve crossings and 1 grade separated junction. (+10 km in ROI) Under construction Work has commenced. Anticipate completion end 2007 
			 A1 Junction Improvement Provide a flyover at A1/Cascum Road, Banbridge Under construction Ongoing private developer led works agreed for new shopping centre 
			 A1 Beech Hill to Cloghogue 12.1 km of high standard dual carriageway with no central reserve crossings and 5 grade separated junctions Included in Preparation Pool Anticipated to commence in 2007 with completion in 2009 
			 A1 Junction Improvements Provide flyovers at 4 key junctions on Al Included in Preparation Pool Anticipated to commence in 2007 with completion in 2009 
		
	
	In August 2006, Minister Cairns unveiled a proposed additional 400 million package of major improvements to the trunk road network during the period up to 2015. The proposed package was issued for public consultation that concluded on29 September 2006. Roads Service is currently considering responses with a view to finalising the extended programme.
	The following table provides details of improvement schemes affecting this route that were included in the Consultation Document and that had performed well against the five key criteria of environment safety, economy, accessibility and integration and were included in the proposed package.(No decision has yet been made as to whether these schemes will be included in Roads Service's Forward Planning Schedule, so no commencement date can be given for any of these schemes.)
	
		
			  Scheme  Description 
			 M1 Slip Roads at Black's Road 2 west facing on/off slips at the Ml/Black's Road junction 
			 M1/A1 Sprucefield Bypass 4Km of high standard dual carriageway from Ml to Al at Hillsborough including flyover 
			 A1 Junction Improvements Provide flyovers at 4 additional key junctions to upgrade Al between Sprucefield and Loughbrickland 
		
	
	The consultation document also included for information, a list of schemes that had performed less well against the key criteria but were not affordable within the funding envisaged to 2015. The following table provides details of one improvement scheme affecting this route that is included in this list. (No decision has yet been made as to whether these schemes will be included in Roads Service's Forward Planning Schedule, so no commencement date can be given for this scheme.)
	
		
			  Scheme  Description 
			 Ml widening Black's Road to Sprucefield Provision of additional lane in both directions

Roads

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Northern Ireland what studies he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the impact of improving motorway links between the Northern Ireland border and ports in the Irish Republic on (i) the ports industry and (ii) airports in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: Improved motorway links make an important contribution to travel and transport, but I have not commissioned specific studies into their impact on ports or airports in Northern Ireland.

Disability Living Allowance

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Work and Pensions what representations he has received from  (a) hon. Members and  (b) others calling for the backdating of disability living allowance for people diagnosed with cancer.

Anne McGuire: The Department has no record of having received any representations to backdate disability living allowance for people diagnosed with cancer.

Winter Fuel Allowance

James McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of a pensioner's average energy bill was met by the winter fuel allowance in  (a) 2003,  (b) 2004 and  (c) 2005; and what the estimated percentage is for 2006.

James Purnell: holding answer 16 October 2006
	The winter fuel payment is intended to provide a contribution towards winter heating bills which account for around 60 per cent. of the total fuel bill. Winter fuel payments increased from £20 in 1997-98 to the current value of £200 for households with someone aged 60 to 79 years of age, and £300 for households with someone aged 80 or over. The information is in the table.
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Average amount spent on fuel 549 583 651 780 
			 Average winter fuel payment 235 233 234 235 
			 Percentage of total fuel bill met by winter fuel payment 43 40 36 30 
			  Notes:1. Pensioner expenditure on fuel is unavailable from the Family Expenditure Survey in 2005-06 and 2006-07. Expenditure for these years is forecast using 2004-05 fuel expenditure uprated by fuel price inflation in 2005-06 and 2006-07. It has been assumed that energy prices will stay at second quarter of 2006 levels for the remainder of 2006-07.2. Average winter fuel payments have been calculated by dividing expenditure on winter fuel payments by the number of households in receipt of winter fuel payments. Source: Family Expenditure Survey 2003-04,2004-05; DWP Administrative data. 
		
	
	Between 1996-97 and 2004-05 (the latest year for which data is available) pensioner incomes increased by 25 per cent. in real terms, compared with a 15 per cent. real terms increase in utility bills between 1996-97 and 2006. It is important to note that while pensioner incomes tend to increase on a linear basis, with 4 per cent. real growth between 2003-04 and 2004-05 building on the growth in earlier years, utility prices tend to fluctuate.

Arson in Schools

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many convictionsthere have been for arson in schools in each of the last 20 years, broken down by local authority area;
	(2)  how many schools have had fires started by arsonists in each of the last 20 years, broken down by local authority area;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the cost of repairing deliberate fire damage at schools in each of the last 20 years, broken down by local authority area;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the cost of introducing a sprinkler system in every school in England.

Jim Knight: We do not have figures for school fires broken down by local authority areas. The data we have is provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), which collects figures from the Fire and Rescue Service.
	The earliest figures we have on school fires from DCLG are for 2000, and the most recent for 2004. These cover England and Wales. The costs are rounded to the nearest million and are derived from the (then) ODPM publication "Economic Cost of Fire, estimates for 2004". They cover property damage and the costs of the fire and rescue services attending the fires.
	
		
			   Number of fires  Total costs (£ million) 
			 2000 1,275 45 
			 2001 1,529 67 
			 2002 1,332 67 
			 2003 1,313 61 
			 2004 1,291 52 
		
	
	The available data does not differentiate between primary and secondary schools, or between the public and independent sectors.
	For the years covered, just over 60 per cent. of the school fires were considered to be the result of deliberate fire setting. Neither this Department nor the DCLG have figures for the number of people convicted for committing arson in schools.
	We do not have reliable figures for the cost of installing sprinklers in schools, and so we commissioned consultants to carry out a study to establish them. Their survey covers a minimum of20 primary and secondary schools, and is analysing both installation costs and maintenance costs. It commenced in July and should be completed later this month. We will include data from the study in the final draft of our new guide on fire safety, Building Bulletin 100 (BB 100), "Designing and Managing Against the Risk of Fire in Schools", which we expect to publish early next year.

Biometric Information Collection

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his Department's policy is on whether schools should be allowed to collect biometric information on pupils without the consent of their parents.

Jim Knight: The Department has not issued guidance to school governors on whether they should consult parents before implementing a policy of taking thumb prints for library issues. It is for each school to establish that it is acting lawfully in processing pupils' personal data and, on a case-by-case basis, is acting in compliance with the Human Rights Act 1998 andthe Data Protection Act 1998, and the commonlaw of confidentiality. The British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) published guidance for schools in 2004 on their obligations and responsibilities under the Data Protection Act and other related legislation.

Green Corns, Rochdale (Behavioural Problems)

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what mechanisms are in place for the inspection of  (a) curriculum,  (b) hours of teaching,  (c) examination entry,  (d) attendance at lessons and  (e) supervision in relation to children with behavioural problems placed in small homes, with particular reference to Green Corns in Rochdale.

Jim Knight: Green Corns Ltd. operates a numberof children's homes in the north west, some of which have been registered as independent schools. All independent schools must comply with standards set out in The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003 as amended. These set out the quality of education, welfare, health and safety arrangements for pupils that all registered independent schools must meet. Ofsted inspections of Green Corns schools examine the breadth of the curriculum, timetabled teaching hours, attendance, behaviour and supervision of pupils. Independent schools are not required to enter pupils for examinations.

Heartlands Development, Haringey

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Education and Skills what the cost per bidder is of the three day consultancy offered to bidders for sponsorship of the new school to be built on the Heartlands development in Haringey; how much the Government have provided to Haringey council for that process; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Since 1 September local authorities wanting to establish a new secondary school have been required under Section 66 of the Education Act 2005 to invite bids from potential promoters. Each potential promoter is entitled to receive three days' consultancy support funded by the Department to help them prepare their bids and we have allocated a budget of £1,500 to cover the cost of each support package.
	As the Department is providing this consultancy support directly to potential promoters we have not transferred any funding to Haringey.

Heartsease High School, Norwich

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what stage the negotiations for the award of City Academy status for Heartsease High School, Norwich have reached; and how  (a) parents,  (b) members of the public and  (c) other interested parties are being consulted on academy status for the school.

Jim Knight: The Heartsease Academy project entered the feasibility phase of development on7 September 2006. As with all academy projects consultations will now take place, providing opportunities for parents, members of the public and other interested parties to make their views known.
	Consultations will also be put in hand soon by the local authority on the proposals it will publish for the closure of the Heartsease High School to enable it's replacement by the Academy.

International GCSE

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the operation of The Coventry City Council and the North West Federation of Schools (International General Certificate in Secondary Education) Order 2005(S.I., 2005, No. 1739).

Jim Knight: The results for 2005/06 from the first cohort were up to expectations—all those anticipated achieved a pass at Grade C or above. The English course is a success and is now running for 2006/07.

Kent LEA

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  whether demographic statistics in Kent were taken into account when determining funding levels for Kent local education authority;
	(2)  what factors are taken into account when calculating funding levels for schools in Kent;
	(3)  what funding levels have been allocated for the local education authorities in  (a) Gravesham,  (b) Medway and  (c) Kent.

Jim Knight: Each local authority's total Dedicated Schools Grant for 2006-07 was calculated by multiplying their full-time equivalent pupils (aged 3 to 15) from the January 2006 pupil count by their Dedicated Schools Grant Guaranteed Unit of Funding (the Dedicated Schools Grant Guaranteed Unit of Funding is unchanged from that set in December 2005 and is available on Teachernet at www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=9405.
	The Dedicated Schools Grant Guaranteed Unit of Funding for 2006-07 was based on actual spend per pupil in 2005-06, with a basic increase of 5 per cent. per pupil (5.1 per cent. for London authorities) and headroom allocated to reflect five ministerial priorities (personalisation at key stage 3, personalisation in primary schools, more practical learning options at 14 to 16, workforce reform and early years expansion). £30 million was also distributed between authorities who spent below the level of undamped Schools Formula Spending Share in 2005-06.
	Where authorities were below 90 per cent. participation for their three-year-olds in January 2006, the number of three-year-olds for funding purposes was brought up to 90 per cent. of the projected population.
	Each authority also received a minimum cash increase of at least 4 per cent. over their 2005-06 Dedicated Schools Grant allocation to provide additional support for authorities with falling rolls.
	The methodology for calculating the Dedicated Schools Grant in 2007-08 will be the same as for 2006-07. An overview to the 2007-08 Dedicated Schools Grant allocation process can be found at http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id==10356.
	The 2006-07 Dedicated Schools Grant Allocations can be found at http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=9405. The Dedicated Schools Grant in 2006-07 was £152.202 million in Medway (an increase per pupil of 6.8 per cent.) and £718.205 million in Kent (an increase per pupil of 6.9 per cent. which includes the Gravesham constituency).

Partial Selection

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of25 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1458W, on partially selective schools, which schools operate the form of partial selection by ability or aptitude which it would not now be lawful to introduce.

Jim Knight: Admission authorities may introduce selection by aptitude of up 10 per cent. of their intake by aptitude for prescribed subjects. As introduction of aptitude selection is determined locally, we do not hold information on the number of schools which have adopted it.
	Provision in the Education and Inspections Bill reaffirms the prohibition on the introduction of any new selection by ability. But schools, which have operated partial selection by ability or aptitude continuously since 1997/98, may continue to do so as long as they do not change the proportion of children selected or the basis for their selection. Although we do not hold a definitive list, we are aware of 38 schools which operate partially selective arrangements which it would not now be lawful to introduce.

Pupils (Language)

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of  (a) year 5,  (b) year 6 and  (c) year 7 pupils have English asa second language in (i) Ruislip-Northwood constituency, (ii) each London borough and (iii) England.

Jim Knight: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1) : number and percentage of pupils in year groups 5, 6 and 7 whose first language is known or believed to be other than English( 2) — all London local authorities, Ruislip-Northwood parliamentary constituency and England, January 2006 
			   Maintained primary( 1) 
			   NC Year Group 5  NC Year Group 6  NC Year Group 7 
			   Number  Percentage( 3)  Number  Percentage( 3)  Number  Percentage( 3) 
			  England( 4) 67,330 12.4 65,360 11.9 1,200 12.9 
			
			  Ruislip-Northwood parliamentary constituency 121 12.4 108 11.9 0 0.0 
			
			  London( 4) 30,960 38.8 30,340 38.2 980 52.9 
			
			  Inner London( 4) 15,040 52.9 14,580 52.1 (5)— 50.0 
			 Camden 809 56.5 764 55.4 (6)— (6)— 
			 City of London 19 63.3 20 71.4 0 0.0 
			 Hackney 1,207 54.0 1,197 54.9 0 0.0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 547 45.4 494 43.2 0 0.0 
			 Haringey 1,484 54.1 1,412 52.9 0 0.0 
			 Islington 760 41.9 741 40.8 0 0.0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 476 52.2 433 49.3 0 0.0 
			 Lambeth 1,153 47.0 1,127 46.6 (6)— (6)— 
			 Lewisham 816 30.0 832 29.9 0 0.0 
			 Newham 2,799 72.2 2,617 70.9 0 0.0 
			 Southwark 1,128 39.7 1,192 41.1 (6)— (6)— 
			 Tower Hamlets 2,015 74.9 2,020 75.1 0 0.0 
			 Wandsworth 859 40.1 773 36.9 0 0.0 
			 Westminster 966 71.2 953 71.9 0 0.0 
			
			  Outer London( 4) 15,920 31.0 15,770 30.7 980 52.9 
			 Barking and Dagenham 495 21.3 462 20.4 0 0.0 
			 Barnet 1,320 39.4 1,288 38.0 4 57.1 
			 Bexley 231 8.2 233 8.4 0 0.0 
			 Brent 1,665 56.8 1,747 58.3 0 0.0 
			 Bromley 212 6.2 215 6.3 0 0.0 
			 Croydon 879 22.3 850 21.5 0 0.0 
			 Ealing 1,752 53.8 1,696 53.4 0 0.0 
			 Enfield 1,391 38.2 1,276 36.1 (6)— (6)— 
			 Greenwich 730 27.9 751 28.6 0 0.0 
			 Harrow 1,135 46.7 1,132 46.6 974 53.0 
			 Havering 129 4.7 131 4.6 0 0.0 
			 Hillingdon 813 26.6 831 28.2 0 0.0 
			 Hounslow 1,146 49.1 1,144 48.2 0 0.0 
			 Kingston upon Thames 350 23.6 363 24.4 0 0.0 
			 Merton 537 31.5 548 31.7 0 0.0 
			 Redbridge 1,568 50.2 1,542 48.6 0 0.0 
			 Richmond upon Thames 247 15.5 252 15.4 0 0.0 
			 Sutton 201 10.4 223 11.3 0 0.0 
			 Waltham Forest 1,121 41.7 1,083 40.3 0 0.0 
		
	
	
		
			   Maintained secondary( 1) 
			   NC Year Group 5  NC Year Group 6  NC Year Group 7 
			   Number  Percentage( 3)  Number  Percentage( 3)  Number  Percentage( 3) 
			  England( 4) 700 2.9 890 3.3 54,310 9.7 
			
			  Ruislip-Northwood parliamentary constituency 0 0.0 0 0.0 95 11.2 
			
			  London( 4) (5)— 22.2 10 26.3 23,650 33.3 
			
			  Inner London( 4) (5)— 22.2 10 27.8 10,750 48.1 
			 Camden 0 0.0 0 0.0 594 38.9 
			 City of London 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 
			 Hackney 0 0.0 0 0.0 576 47.6 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 4 22.2 4 23.5 369 35.2 
			 Haringey 0 0.0 0 0.0 1,036 50.7 
			 Islington 0 0.0 0 0.0 686 44.4 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0 0.0 0 0.0 258 42.7 
			 Lambeth 0 0.0 0 0.0 581 38.9 
			 Lewisham 0 0.0 (6)— (6)— 480 25.7 
			 Newham 0 0.0 0 0.0 2,246 64.7 
			 Southwark 0 0.0 0 0.0 857 46.6 
			 Tower Hamlets 0 0.0 0 0.0 1,795 69.8 
			 Wandsworth 0 0.0 0 0.0 571 33.0 
			 Westminster 0 0.0 0 0.0 705 50.3 
			
			  Outer London( 4) 0 0.0 0 0.0 12,890 26.5 
			 Barking and Dagenham 0 0.0 0 0.0 449 19.8 
			 Barnet 0 0.0 0 0.0 1,022 32.6 
			 Bexley 0 0.0 0 0.0 211 6.7 
			 Brent 0 0.0 0 0.0 1,410 53.2 
			 Bromley 0 0.0 0 0.0 153 4.3 
			 Croydon 0 0.0 0 0.0 622 17.4 
			 Ealing 0 0.0 0 0.0 1,301 48.8 
			 Enfield 0 0.0 0 0.0 1,422 38.5 
			 Greenwich 0 0.0 0 0.0 502 23.0 
			 Harrow 0 0.0 0 0.0 24 8.0 
			 Havering 0 0.0 0 0.0 107 3.4 
			 Hillingdon 0 0.0 0 0.0 721 26.4 
			 Hounslow 0 0.0 0 0.0 1,300 48.9 
			 Kingston upon Thames 0 0.0 0 0.0 247 17.3 
			 Merton 0 0.0 0 0.0 420 26.6 
			 Redbridge 0 0.0 0 0.0 1,400 44.5 
			 Richmond upon Thames 0 0.0 0 0.0 209 15.0 
			 Sutton 0 0.0 0 0.0 270 10.1 
			 Waltham Forest 0 0.0 0 0.0 1,104 41.0 
			 (1 )Includes middle schools as deemed(2) Includes pupils aged five and over. Excludes dually registered pupils.(3) Number of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English expressed as a percentage of all pupils in that year group.(4 )National and regional totals have been rounded to the nearest 10. There may be discrepancies between totals and the sum of constituent parts.(5) Less than five (where the totals have been rounded to the nearest 10.(6) Less than three or a rate based on less than 3. Source:Schools' Census

School Admissions

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of schools which would be affected if the draft Code proposing changes to the admissions criteria in relation to the deletion of the siblings criterion is implemented in February 2007.

Jim Knight: The draft Code proposes to rule out the use of the sibling oversubscription criterion at all 164 grammar schools and to restrict its use in the40 schools that use selection by ability or aptitude for more than 10 per cent. of their intake under section 100 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, unless the school can show exceptional circumstances to justify it.
	We do not have information on how many of these 204 schools currently use the sibling criterion, and therefore are unable to say how many will be affected by the proposed changes. The criterion is acceptable at all other schools, including those that admit 10 per cent. or less by selection on aptitude.

Teachers' Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the annual savings would be from increasing the employee contribution rate of the teachers' pension scheme by 1 per cent.; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The contribution rate currently paid by members of the Teachers' Pension Scheme (IPS) is6 per cent. of salary. 1 per cent. of salary would equate to some £205 million in this financial year.
	From 1 January 2007, the IPS members' contribution rate will increase to 6.4 per cent. of salary. This is part of a package of IPS reforms that will include a normal pension age of 65 for new entrants and an agreement on an equal sharing of future cost pressures between members and employers, subject to a cap of 14 per cent. on the contribution paid by employers from the 2008 scheme valuation onwards. The overall package of reform, together with the agreement on cost sharing, will ensure the continuing financial sustainability of the TPS.

Teachers/Teaching Assistants

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made ofthe number of teachers in primary schools who speak  (a) Urdu and  (b) other languages used by children of a Pakistani and Kashmiri background.

Jim Knight: holding answer 19 October 2006
	The information requested is not collected centrally.

Thumb Prints

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance he has issued to school governors on whether they should consult parents before implementing a policy of taking thumb prints for library issues.

Jim Knight: The Department has not issued guidance to school governors on whether they should consult parents before implementing a policy of taking thumb prints for library issues. It is for each school to establish that it is acting lawfully in processing pupils' personal data and, on a case-by-case basis, is actingin compliance with the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Data Protection Act 1998, and the commonlaw of confidentiality. The British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) published guidance for schools in 2004 on their obligations and responsibilities under the Data Protection Act and other related legislation.

Unauthorised Absence

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the Answer of6 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1235W, to the hon. Member for South-West Hertfordshire (Mr. Gauke), on truancy, how much was spent for local authorities to share effective practice; what the nature of the events was; whom the advisers were; how much each adviser was paid; what percentage change in unauthorised absence figures occurred in each quarter since their appointment; how many electronic registration systems were purchased; and what the  (a) type,  (b) unit cost,  (c) supplier and  (d) monitoring arrangement was in each local authority area.

Jim Knight: The £0.2 million expenditure mentioned in the previous reply on events for local authorities includes termly meetings of local authority attendance leaders in each English region. These meetings are organised and facilitated by the National Strategies' Assistant Regional Advisors for Attendance. The purpose of each meeting is to present current developments and to share effective practice on attendance management between local authorities. A separate conference was held on 21 September 2005 for selected local authorities on improving school attendance.
	The eight attendance advisers who were seconded to my Department from local authorities were: Ron Collinson; Sandra Fletcher; Richard Harvey; Ken Johnson; Linda Rundle; Hilary Shaw; John Smail; and Ingvar Spencer. Their costs ranged between £32,000 and £71,000 and reflected their local authority salary. This was paid pro-rata as some of the advisers only worked for the Department on a part-time basis. Each received an amount for travel and subsistence and, in one case, for administrative support.
	The current Capita National Strategies Assistant Regional Advisors for Attendance team is made up of: Senior Regional Attendance Advisor: Sue Bainbridge; Current Assistant Regional Advisors for Attendance: Margaret Bleet; Heather Clapp; Chris Gabbett (from January 2007); Jean Gunning; Kenneth Hart; Colin Logan; Linda Rundle; Peter Walker; and Paul Wright. The previous Assistant Regional Advisors for Attendance were: Trevor Folley; Pippa Jackson; and Sam Penn.
	The salary scale for the Senior Regional Attendance Advisor is £59,963-£63,456. The salary scale for the Assistant Regional Advisors for Attendance is £51,984-£55,339.
	My Department does not collect pupil absence figures on a quarterly basis.
	£11.25 million was made available to fund electronic registration systems in around 530 secondary schools with high levels of unauthorised absence. Schools selected the system and the provider that best suited their needs. The following table shows the total amounts by supplier in grants awarded to schools.
	
		
			  Supplier  Total grants awarded (£) 
			 CCM 967,060 
			 Radun 110,430 
			 Easy Trace 24,080 
			 Capita 5,252,260 
			 RM 211,420 
			 Tasc 823,880 
			 Pearson 108,020 
			 Bromcom 2,634,190 
			 Bell 68,950 
			 Nedap 19,170 
			 Talmos 25,590 
			 Quinetic 67,470 
			 Sentinel 21,390 
		
	
	The effectiveness of the e-registration funding was evaluated by the Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research at the University of Warwick. Their report was published in May 2006 and a copy has been placed in the Library.

Unauthorised Absence

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his most recent estimateis of the level of persistent unauthorised absence in (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in (i) rural and (ii) non-rural areas in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information required to answer the question is not yet available.
	The Department started to collect pupil level absence data for the first time from secondaryschools in January 2006. Detailed absence statisticsfor 2005-06 will be available in a statistical firstrelease provisionally scheduled for publication in February 2007.

Forced Marriages

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what role she is playing in discussions on new legislation to proscribe forced marriage.

Meg Munn: As a member of the Inter-departmental Ministerial Group on Domestic Violence, I am actively involved in discussions with ministerial colleagues relating to this issue, and we all acknowledge the importance of taking appropriate steps to tackle forced marriage.
	A consultation was held from September to December 2005 on whether to create a specific criminal offence of forcing someone into marriage. We have considered fully the pros and cons of a specific offence before deciding whether or not to legislate, and Baroness Scotland announced the Government's decision not to introduce specific legislation onJune 7 2006. Respondents feared that legislation would drive the problem further underground and increase the risk of forced marriage victims being taken overseas and held there.
	We have not ruled out the possibility of developing new legislation in relation to forced marriage in the future, but believe that a specific offence should only be created if there are gaps in existing legislation which cannot be filled. However, in order to tackle the issue more effectively, several recommendations for non-legislative activity will be taken forward. The Forced Marriage Unit is now pursuing the recommendations for non-legislative measures, including increasing training to professionals and more outreach work, increasing work with statutory agencies to implement guidelines, and making better use of existing legislation, civil remedies and the family courts.
	There are many existing criminal offences which may be committed during a forced marriage, such as kidnap, false imprisonment, assault, rape and in some cases murder. The Government support forced marriage victims who choose to make prosecutions and will continue to do so.

Bio-ethanol

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he plans to take to improve opportunities for farmers to supply sugar beet for the production of bio-ethanol.

Ian Pearson: Following the reform of the sugar regime, farmers can grow sugar beet on set-aside land for bioethanol use and can claim the European Union's €45 per hectare Energy Aid payment for sugar beet on non set-aside land. We are aware that British Sugar are building a biofuel processing plant in Norfolk that will use sugar beet as one of the feedstocks.
	The Government are promoting the production of bioethanol through a 20 pence per litre duty rate cut. To further develop the supply of biofuels, a Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation will be introduced to require 5 per cent. of fuel sold in the UK to come from a renewable source by 2010. An enhanced capital allowance scheme is also being considered for the cleanest biofuels processing plants. This would allow the cost of capital assets to be written-off against taxable profits.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what conclusions his Department has reached on the relative importance of channels for transmission of TB among animals.

Ben Bradshaw: The bi-directional transmission of infection between badgers and cattle is undisputedi.e. both are capable of being the source of infection for the other, and both are capable of maintaining the infection in their respective groups in the absence of the other. Transmission of infection can be either through direct (animal to animal) contact or indirect contact from the environment. Wild deer may in certain situations act as a reservoir of infection although a recent quantitative risk assessment has shown that the relative risk to cattle from wild deer is lower than that from badgers.
	Research demonstrates that due to the combination of the differences in the pathology of the disease and the active surveillance, testing and culling policy pursued in cattle, a higher proportion of badgers are infected and when infected they are more likely to be infectious.
	We are continuing to carry out research to try to clarify the relative importance of the different routes of transmission. For example, recent research using data from the Randomised Badger Culling Trial has shown that during the foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001 when cattle TB testing and badger culling was suspended, the prevalence in badgers increased and attributed to an increase in cattle TB.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he has taken to ensure reliability and robustness of the consultation on badgers.

Ben Bradshaw: The consultation has been invaluable in helping us hear from all sides of the debate.
	The summary of all the responses received a detailed type of response, including those from the seven campaigns by wildlife groups. We will take this into account, along with the Advertising Standards Authority ruling on the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals campaign, when considering public opinion on this issue.
	The summary of responses and report on the citizens' panels are available on the DEFRA website at www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/abouttb/badgers.htm#public

Departmental Expenditure

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies in respect of hotel and other similar privately-provided accommodation (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad for (A) Ministers, (B) staff and (C) other persons in each year since 2001-02.

Barry Gardiner: The information could be provided only in the requested format at disproportionate cost.
	The Department does record total bed and breakfast costs for the UK and abroad and figures are available for the last three financial years:
	
		
			  £000 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 UK 1,082 1,611 2,408 
			 Abroad 853 970 1,101 
		
	
	These figures exclude the rural payments agency, the Central Science Laboratory and the Department's non-departmental public bodies.
	All travel is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code.
	Information relating to overseas travel by Ministers is published on an annual basis. Information for the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 2006 is available in the Library of the House. Information for the financial year 2006-07 will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the current financial year.

Hague Preference

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what occasions since 1997 the UK has invoked the Hague Preference; what the  (a) amount reserved and  (b) increase in share was in each case; on how many occasions stocks were at a level where the Preference could have been used but was not; and if he will make a statement on his policy on the use of the Hague Preference.

Ben Bradshaw: The historic data is not available without incurring disproportionate cost. However, in recent years, the UK has invoked the Hague Preference on all stocks on which the Irish Government invokes it, in order to minimise the UK losses that flow from Irish invocation. In the North Sea, we have avoided invoking the Hague Preference on severely depleted stocks such as cod, but maintain our right to invoke on other stocks, if circumstances demand. The table shows the net effect of our 2006 invocations. We are currently reviewing our approach to use of the Hague Preference.
	
		
			   Initial Quota  Initial Quota  Final Quota  Final Quota  Net estimated value of HP impact (£million) 
			  Species  UK  IRE  UK  IRE  UK 
			 Cod Vb, VI(1) XII 322 76 368 138 0.081 
			 Cod Vila (2) 780 853 527 1204 -0.454 
			 Cod VI I b- k(3), VIII 462 569 439 818 -0.041 
			 Plaice Vila(4) 822 643 485 1051 -0.419 
			 Saithe Vb,VI,(5), XII 2262 310 3592 467 0.569 
			 Whiting Vila(6) 231 173 169 252 -0.046 
			  Total: -0.310 
			 (1) West of Scotland (2) Irish Sea (3) Area includes Channel, Celtic Sea (4) Irish Sea (5) West of Scotland (6) Irish Sea

Mooring Fees

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the annual rate of increase has been in fees charged by the Environment Agency for mooring boats on the waters for which they are responsible in each of the last five years for which figures are available; what increases are proposed; what discussions he has had with the agency regarding the reasons for these increases; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The Environment Agency currently let out a variety of moorings to boaters across their waterways. The charges and charging regimes vary from region to region in accordance with their historic governance. The agency is proposing increases in navigation charges of seven per cent plus the cost reflective index, which, based on this past, year is 5 per cent. This formula will be applied for three years starting in 2007-08. Increases in mooring rates vary between waterways across the agency's regions. As an illustration, the charging structure for moorings on the Thames has increased in line with other navigation charges (such as boat registration) over the last five years, as set out as follows:
	
		
			  Charging rates for moorings on the Thames 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Class 1 powered craft (per m/per month) (£) 9.62 9.87 10.28 10.84 11.59 
			 Class 2 powered craft (per m/per month) (£) 6.57 6.74 7.02 7.40 7.91 
			 Towpath moorings (per m/per month) (£) 9.77 10.03 10.45 11.01 11.77 
			 Open craft (per year) (£) 69.79 71.61 74.61 78.64 84.07 
			   
			 Percentage increase 2.4 2.6 4.2 5.4 6.9 
		
	
	Defra and agency officials hold regular liaison meetings where navigation issues are discussed. This includes proposed charging arrangements. However, the agency does not require ministerial permission to increase its navigation charges.

Natural England

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the system will be in place in Natural England to transfer the responsibility for the signing off spending from the chief executive; and to whom the responsibility will be transferred.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 18 October 2006
	The Natural England Skeleton Board agreed a scheme of delegation, both financial and non-financial, between the board and the chief executive at its meeting on 13 September. Financial delegations from the chief executive to the rest of the organisation have been put in place for vesting on 1 October and are now operational. The detail of certain non-financial delegations are still being developed but will be agreed shortly.

New Zealand Butter

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs When he expects the issue of import licences for New Zealand butter to be resumed; and what representations he has made about this.

Ben Bradshaw: On 1 October, Commission Regulation (EC) No 1452/2006 lifted the temporary suspension on issuing import licences for New Zealand butter that was imposed after the recent European Court of Justice ruling. The Regulation allows for the remaining 14,294.6 tonnes of butter from the 2006 quota to be imported before 31 December under a modified procedure.
	In the meantime, discussions between the Commission and New Zealand, and the Commission and member states on the changes necessary to the administration of the 2007 quota year and beyond, will continue.
	We are working closely with the Commission, other member states and New Zealand to ensure that the disruptions to trade are minimal and that a new system for the administration of the New Zealand butter quota can be implemented quickly and smoothly.

Shoreline Management

John Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance he has given to local authorities on the appropriateness of including social justice as a material consideration in drafting shoreline management plans; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Guidance for authorities on the preparation of revised shoreline management plans (SMPs) is published on the Department's website. SMPs aim to provide a strategic framework within which sustainable coastal erosion and flood risk management strategies can be developed for the coast. It is essential to have sustainable policies in place to guide future investment and inform the development planning process. The analysis informing SMPs should be as full as possible, within the level of detail appropriate to this high level of strategic planning.
	Social and environmental impacts should be taken into account in deciding the most sustainable management policies for the coastline insofar as it is practical to do so and all available information used for the economic analysis. Approaches to helping communities adapt to a changing coastline, including addressing any social justice implications, are being considered under the Department's "Making space for water" programme.

Waste Management

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate the Government have made of the amount of  (a) vermin and  (b) litter in each year since 2001.

Ben Bradshaw: Data from the Local Environment Quality Survey of England, conducted by ENCAMS, show that there has been a steady improvement in cleansing performance over the last four years since the survey began. The following table shows how the national benchmarks for litter and detritus (combined) have improved:
	
		
			   Proportion of unsatisfactory sites for litter and detritus (percentage) 
			 2001-02 28 
			 2002-03 26 
			 2003-04 22 
			 2004-05 19 
		
	
	However, certain types of litter are on the increase. For example, fast food litter has increased over the past four years. In 2001-02 it occurred on 4 per cent. of sites surveyed, rising to 16 per cent. in 2002-03, 18 per cent. in 2003-04, and 22 per cent. in 2004-05.
	The Local Environmental Quality Survey of England 2004-05 is available on the ENCAMS website at: http://www.encams.org/general/leqse0405.asp.
	No estimates have been made of any change in the level of vermin. The only recent objective national survey of rat presence is within the English House Condition Survey. The 2001 survey revealed that0.3 per cent. of properties had rats indoors and 2.9 per cent. had rats present outside.
	A copy of the report can be found on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/vertebrates/reports/English-house-survey-rodent-report.pdf.
	Advisory leaflets are also available on the Defra website, which deal with a range of wildlife problems and ways to resolve them, including the control of rats. These can be found at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/vertebrates/leaflets.htm.

Water Efficiency

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs why the Government have ruled out mandatory testing of new build residential accommodation for water efficiency targets.

Ian Pearson: Defra and the Department for Communities and Local Government have been looking at ways of improving water efficiency in buildings. We are considering a number of proposals on water efficiency in new and existing homes, and on the domestic uses of water in non-household property. No decisions have yet been made, and we intend to hold a full public consultation on the content of any regulation proposed. This process will begin before the end of the year, and decisions will be made earlyin 2007.

Policy Review Committees

Mark Hoban: To ask the Prime Minister what the  (a) purpose and  (b) remit is of his four policy review committees announced by his official spokesman on20 September 2006; and if he will make a statement on the progress with the work of the committees.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member tothe press briefing given by my official spokesman on19 October. A transcript of this is available on theNo. 10 website and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Arms Exports

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her Cabinet colleagues about UK exports of military equipment and parts to  (a) Burma,  (b) China,  (c) North Korea,  (d) Iran,  (e) Russia, (f) Saudi Arabia and  (g) Zimbabwe; and what assessment she has made of the impact of those exports upon the human rights situation in those countries.

Kim Howells: Regular contacts between Cabinet colleagues take place on UK exports of military equipment and parts and will include, when necessary, arms sales to destinations which may be a cause for concern.
	All export licenses are assessed on a case by case basis against the EU and National Consolidated Export Licensing Criteria. This includes in criterion 2 the 'respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country of final destination'. If an export is considered inconsistent with the criteria, a licence will not be issued. Given the thorough and strict pre-licensing assessments, we are confident that our exports do not have adverse effects on the human rights situations in the countries of final destination.

British Embassy (Dili)

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate she has made of how much will be saved by the closure of the British embassy in Dili; how much will be raised by the sale of embassy  (a) property and  (b) chattels in Dili; what the cost will be of the relocation of services to Jakarta; and whether training will be required for new staff in Jakarta dealing with East Timorese cases and issues.

Ian McCartney: An annual saving of £341,353 will be made by the closure of our embassy in Dili.
	We did not own any of the buildings that we occupied in Dili. Some chattels have been recycled or returned to the UK (communications, IT equipment). Two vehicles have been sold, £2,677 raised, and a third awaits sale.
	An uplift off £5,900 has been made to the local budget of our embassy in Jakarta. This is to cover the additional travel requirements of Jakarta-based staff from the transfer of responsibility as well as the running costs of our newly-appointed Honorary Consul in Dili. There was also a one-off uplift of £1,000 to cover the start-up costs for the Honorary Consul. Jakarta-based staff will not require any additional training for their East Timor-related duties.

Child Welfare

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response she has made to the report of the independent expert for the United Nations study on violence against children; what plans she has to implement the relevant recommendations of that report; what advice and assistance her Department gave to the committee which produced the report; and what representations she has received on that report.

Ian McCartney: We welcome Professor Pinheiro's report on violence against children, providing an in depth global picture of the serious issue of abuses of children's rights. We believe that implementation by states of the recommendations set out in the report would undoubtedly provide a better protective environment for children throughout the world.
	The recommendations set out in the report mirror much of the work already being carried out in the UK to protect children from all forms of abuse. We will continue to work with our international partners to take forward these recommendations in other countries, working to ensure children throughout the world can enjoy their human rights and be protected from all forms of violence.
	The UK (Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development) contributed 17 per cent. of the total cost of the study, equating to £450,000.
	We have received requests from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and from non-governmental organisations in the field asking the UK to endorse the report and lend support to its recommendations. To that end, we have discussed and continue to discuss with EU and UN partners how best to promote the recommendations, including at the UN General Assembly Third Committee this year.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people the UK plans to send to act as election monitors for the second round of the Democratic Republic of Congo presidential elections.

Ian McCartney: The UK intends to send observers for the second round of elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as it did for the first round. The UK observation team will comprise of about sixteen British civil servants, together with three or four hon. Members.
	The UK observers will contribute to the wider EU Election Observation Mission in the DRC. In addition to the UK observation team, independent British observers will be participating in the EU mission.

Israel

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make inquiries to the Israeli authorities about the hold up at Ashdod port of specialist equipment supplied through the UNESCO programme for heritage restoration work in the Old City of Jerusalem; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Staff from our consulate general in Jerusalem have contacted United Nation Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation, who explained that the delay was due to Israeli public holidays. They expect the issue to be resolved within a matter of days.

Special Operations

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make it her policy to state where it is the case, that members of the Inc. or similar bodies have been involved when asked whether British military personnel are involved in an operation.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 19 October 2006
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him today (UIN 95300).

Sri Lanka

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the bombing of the orphanage at Mullaitivu in Sri Lanka.

Kim Howells: We are seriously concerned about the deterioration of human rights in Sri Lanka in recent months. Any abuse of human rights is to be deplored, and it is essential that all parties to the conflict refrain from actions that may result in violations of human rights. We have raised our concerns with the Sri Lankan Government at the highest levels, and our high commissioner in Colombo presses Sri Lankan Ministers regularly on these issues.
	We note reports that at least sixty adolescents have died following bombing by the Sri Lanka Airforce of the Sencholai compound in Mullaitivu. It is tragic that so many lives, particularly of young people, have been lost in such circumstances. The full facts and circumstances of the bombing are not yet clear, it is vital to establish the truth of this and other recent allegations not least for the relatives of those killed and injured. The frequent inability to establish the full circumstances and truth of such incidents is a clear and recurrent source of frustration to those directly affected and serves to increase the concern of the international community who are monitoring the situation closely. For this reason, we welcome President Rajapakse's initiative for a national commission to inquire into recent killings, disappearances and abductions in Sri Lanka and a panel of international observers to oversee the process. We agree with the views expressed in September by the UN rapporteur on extra-judicial killing, that such a process must be independent, credible and empowered to make a difference.

Sudan

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she plans to take to prevent further conflict in Darfur after the expiration of the African Union's extended peacekeeping mandate.

Ian McCartney: A UN peacekeeping force, as foreseen in UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1706, is best placed to prevent further conflict in Darfur. We are working with our Partners at the UN to establish this force, including by engaging with the Government of Sudan to agree to its deployment.
	In the meantime we are urging the Government of Sudan and rebels to stop the fighting, and to committo a political process to create a permanent end to conflict. The Government and the non-signatories to the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) must resume political dialogue to provide a peaceful resolution to this crisis. To this end my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development met President Bashir in Khartoum on 16 September to press Sudan to accept a UN force. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, raised Darfur with Foreign Ministers during the UN General Assembly, 18-22 September, to secure sustained pressure on Khartoum to comply with UNSCRs 1593 and 1706.
	The UK is also supporting the African Union to implement the DPA. We have seconded a team of communications experts to help them publicise the DPA's benefits to the people of Darfur, and we are doing this directly through the BBC World Service Trust's Darfur Lifeline Radio.

Wine Directive

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made in respect of the European Union wine directive.

Barry Gardiner: I have been asked to reply.
	The European Commission published its options paper "Towards a sustainable European winesector" and an accompanying impact assessment on22 June 2006. This is not a proposal, but a Commission Communication analysing the situation on the EU wine market and setting out various options for the reform of the current regime. Defra has undertakena formal consultation on the Commission's Communication, which closed on 9 October 2006 (http://defraweb/corporate/consult/wine-reform/index.htm). We will be considering the responses received in order to inform a detailed UK negotiating position. But in the discussions to date, we have welcomed the Commission's Communication, which clearly sets out the case for reform and identifies a good range of options for discussion. We expect the Commission to present detailed legislative proposals early in 2007.

Civil Service Year Book

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will state the month and year for which the 44th Civil Service Year Book provides a snapshot.

Edward Miliband: The 44th edition of theCivil Service Year Book was published on Monday31 July 2006. The information for the edition was initially gathered from Government Departments up to the end of March 2006 but all departmental entries were updated following the completion of the Cabinet reshuffle in May 2006.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 29 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1031W to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles), on council tax (official residences), whether the Cabinet Secretary has activated revised guidance to Ministers on their liability following the decision of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to occupy the flat above 10 Downing Street.

Hilary Armstrong: The Cabinet Secretary provided guidance to Her Majesty's Treasury following the decision of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to occupy the flat above 10 Downing Street.

Ministerial Visits

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will list the places she visited during her recent visit to Scandinavia; who accompanied her; and what the cost was of her visit.

Hilary Armstrong: All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the "Ministerial Code" and "Travel by Ministers", copies of which are available in the Library for the reference of Members. All official travel is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the "Civil Service Management Code", a copy of which is also available in the Library for the reference of Members.
	I refer the hon. Member to the statementmade by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 86WS. Information for 2006-07 will be published as soon as possible after the end of the financial year.

Official Residences

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which Ministers are occupying a flat in Admiralty House; and which Ministers have vacated a flat in Admiralty Arch since May 2006.

Hilary Armstrong: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice) on 12 June 2006,  Official Report, column 883W.
	Since then, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Margaret Beckett) and my right hon. Friend the Minister for Europe (Mr. Hoon) have vacated their residences in Admiralty House. My right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor has been allocated one of the flats in Admiralty House. He will not take up residence but will use it for official entertaining and other engagements.

Estimates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to table an estimate to vote funding for his new Department.

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 9 October 2006,  Official Report, column 72W, on his ministerial office and staff, when his Department will apply for a Parliamentary Vote to fund his Department; and what annual budget he will seek.

John Prescott: In due course.

Ministerial Facilities

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what works of art are on loan from the Government Art Collection to his  (a) office and  (b) official residence in Admiralty House.

John Prescott: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Members for Hammersmith and Fulham (Mr. Hands) and South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes) on 9 October 2006,  Official Report, columns 69W and 71W.

Ministerial Visits

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 9 October 2006,  Official Report, columns 73-74W, on ministerial visits, which hotel he stayed at during the MIPIM Property Development Conference.

John Prescott: All travel is undertaken in accordance with guidance laid down in the "Ministerial Code" and "Travel by Ministers".

Cancer/Heart Disease

Kitty Ussher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths there were from  (a) cancer and  (b) heart disease in Burnley constituency in each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 23 October 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths there were from(a) cancer and (b) heart disease in Burnley constituency in each year since 1997. (95718)
	The attached tables provide the numbers of deaths where(a) cancer and (b) heart disease was the underlying cause of death, for 1997 to 2005 (the latest year available), for the Burnley parliamentary constituency.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of deaths where cancer was the underlying cause of death( 1) , Burnley parliamentary constituency, 1997 to 2005 
			   Male  Female  Total 
			 1997 123 96 219 
			 1998 136 126 262 
			 1999 133 114 247 
			 2000 124 114 238 
			 2001 96 123 219 
			 2002 128 139 267 
			 2003 126 103 229 
			 2004 138 107 245 
			 2005 103 113 216 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes 140-208 for the years 1997 to 2000, and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes COO-C97 for 2001 onwards. The introduction of ICD-10 in 2001 means that the numbers of deaths from this cause before 2001 are not completely comparable with later years. (2) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of deaths where heart disease was the underlying cause of death( 1) , Burnley parliamentary constituency, 1997 to 20052 
			   Male  Female  Total 
			 1997 149 146 295 
			 1998 143 104 247 
			 1999 105 127 232 
			 2000 117 95 212 
			 2001 108 95 203 
			 2002 110 91 201 
			 2003 116 82 198 
			 2004 110 91 201 
			 2005 91 96 187 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes 410-414 for the years 1997 to 2000, and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes 120-125 for 2001 onwards. The introduction of ICD-10 in 2001 means that the numbers of deaths from this cause before 2001 are not completely comparable with later years. (2) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Carers

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of introducing a tax exemption for contributions towards a care voucher scheme for employees with caring responsibilities.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Economic Secretary gave her on 20 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1487W.

Corporation Tax

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what change in annual revenue he would expect from removing allowances other than prior losses against corporation tax and reducing the rate to 25 per cent.

Dawn Primarolo: Latest available estimates of the effect on tax receipts of changes in the rate of corporation tax can be found on the HMRC website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_expenditures/1_6_apr06.pdf and available estimates of the impact of tax reliefs can be found at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_expenditures/1_5_apr06.pdf

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter to the Paymaster-General of 18 August 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regards to Mr. and Mrs. Reid.

Dawn Primarolo: I have already done so, as I explained in my written answer of 17 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1099W to another question which the right hon. Gentleman tabled on this matter.

Government Social Research Service

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was of the Government Social Research Service in his Department in each of the last five years; how many projects have been completed by the Service in that period; and how many people are employed in the Service in his Department.

John Healey: The Government Social Research Service (GSR) has not been represented in HM Treasury in the last five financial years so there are no projects to report and no spend in that period.
	The Government Social Research Unit moved to the Treasury from Cabinet Office in a machinery of government move in March 2006. There are 15 members of staff (14 FTE posts) within this unit.

Life Expectancy

Kitty Ussher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what life expectancy is in Burnley constituency for  (a) men and  (b) women; and what it was in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2001.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 23 October 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what life expectancy is in Burnley constituency for (a) men and (b) women, and what it was in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2001. (95707)
	Life expectancy figures are published for local authorities rather than parliamentary constituencies, and are calculated as three year rolling averages. The attached table provides the period life expectancy at birth for (a) men and (b) women in Burnley local authority district, in (i) 1996-98, (ii) 2000-02, and (iii) 2002-04 (the latest period available).
	
		
			  Table 1: Period life expectancy at birth( 1) , Burnley local authority district( 2) , 1996-98, 2001-02 and 2002-04( 3) 
			  Years of life 
			   Male  Female 
			  Year( 3)  Life expectancy  95 per cent. confidence interval( 4)  Life expectancy  95 per cent. confidence interval( 4) 
			 1996-98 72.0 (71.3-72.7) 77.7 (77.0-78.4) 
			 2000-02 74.4 (73.7-75.2) 78.6 (77.9-79.3) 
			 2002-04 74.1 (73.4-74.8) 78.2 (77.4-78.9) 
			 (1) Period life expectancy at birth is an estimate of the average number of years a newborn baby would survive if he or she experienced the area's age-specific mortality rates for that time period throughout his or her life. The figure reflects mortality among those living in the area in each time period, rather than mortality among those born in each area. It is not therefore the number of years a baby born in the area in each time period could actually expect to live, both because the death rates of the area are likely to change in the future and because many of those born in the area will live elsewhere for at least some part of their lives. (2) Using local authority boundaries as of 2005 for all the years shown. (3) Three year rolling averages, based on deaths registered in each year and mid-year population estimates. (4) Confidence intervals are a measure of the statistical precision of an estimate and show the range of uncertainty around the estimated figure. Calculations based on small numbers of events are often subject to random fluctuations. As a general rule, if the confidence interval around one figure overlaps with the interval around another, we cannot say with certainty that there is more than a chance difference between the two figures.

Tax Credits

Don Touhig: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what procedures are in place to deal with general inquiries in circumstances when the IT system for processing working family tax credits becomes inoperative.

Dawn Primarolo: Working families tax credit was replaced by child tax credit and working tax creditin 2003.
	Where systems supporting these two new tax credits become unavailable, e.g. due to such planned events as system upgrades, then advisers are still able to provide answers to general inquiries. In some instances HMRC can still record details of reported changes. If that is not possible, callers are advised to call back when HMRC expects its systems to be available.
	Callers may also be directed to the HMRC website which contains extensive information and guidance.

Tax Credits

Peter Viggers: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer what the incidence of tax credit fraud was in the last period for which figures are available; what the total amount involved was in that period; and what assessment he has made of how successful the relevant authorities have been in eliminating it.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made to the House on 11 July 2006,  Official Report columns. 1281-82. Also to the HMRC publications "Child and Working Tax Credits: Error and fraud statistics 2003-04" and "Tackling error and fraud in the Child and Working Tax Credits" available on the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/news/index.htm.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff at the Tax Credits Office received bonus payments in each month between December 2005 and September 2006; what the total amount of bonuses paid has been; what the largest single payment was; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The director of the Tax Credit Office has the discretion to award special bonuses to recognise exceptional performance. The dates and number of payments made are:
	
		
			  Staff in receipt of bonuses 
			   Number 
			 December 2005 47 
			 January 2006 0 
			 February 2006 0 
			 March 2006 224 
			 April 2006 0 
			 May 2006 0 
			 June 2006 12 
			 July 2006 6 
			 August 2006 3 
			 September 2006 1 
		
	
	The total amount paid to TCO staff between December 2005 and September 2006 was £60,948.50. The total number of awards made in this period was 293 and the average payment was around £200.
	The largest single payment was for £1,000.

Tobacco Counterfeits

Colin Breed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has discussed with the Secretary of State for Health the potential implications of the proposed change in minimum age for the sale of tobacco for the smuggled tobacco trade.

John Healey: Ministers and officials from HMRC and Treasury have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.
	HM Revenue and Customs take a tough approach to tobacco smuggling and at Budget 2006 published "New responses to new challenges: Reinforcing the Tackling Tobacco Strategy". This includes a range of measures designed to tackle illicit activity through targeted action at all points along the supply chain from overseas production and sourcing of tobacco products to UK distribution networks.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 25 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1397W, on the Valuation Office Agency, what factors he took into account when deciding that placing the documents in the Library was not appropriate.

Dawn Primarolo: As mentioned in my answer of25 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1397W, these documents, the Valuation Office Agency's (VGA's) (a) photography best practice guide and (b) COVO manual mentioned in clause 3.7.1, of section 2 of the VGA's Council Tax Manual, are merely internal technical guides.

Adoption Placements

Annette Brooke: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 932W, on adoption placements, how many placement applications for adoption were determined at the final care hearing; and how many are determined at a later date  (a) in London,  (b) at the Principal Registry of the Family Division and  (c) nationally in each of the last 12 years.

Harriet Harman: This information requested is not collected and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

Clinical Negligence

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will ensure that the hourly rates allowed for claimants by the Legal Services Commission for experts in clinical negligence is the same as the NHS Litigation Authority's payment regime for experts when defending clinical negligence claims; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: The rates offered by the LSC are not dependent on the rates offered by the NHS Litigation Authority, but are set in reference to best value to the legal aid fund.

Data Protection

John Redwood: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the benefits which have resulted from the introduction of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Vera Baird: As with all legislation the Government keep the workings of the Data Protection Act under review. The results of the 2006 Information Commissioners Office Annual Tracker Survey of private and public organisations show that 89 per cent. agreed that the Act was needed. In addition to this,80 per cent. of private organisations agreed that it improved information management, 81 per cent. agreed it improved customer trust and 60 per cent. agreed it adds value to the business. The Act is an important piece of legislation that ensures there is a proper legal framework to protect the way that personal data is processed. Individuals also benefit as the Act allows subject access rights in relation to personal data which is held about them.

Freedom of Information

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the Leader of the House's answer of 16 October 2006,  Official Report, column 582, on Parliamentary Questions, how many requests were made to each Department by hon. Members for information sought using the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in the last 12 months.

Vera Baird: The Freedom of Information Act requires each case to be assessed on its individual merits and so Departments do not collect information on requestor type, including Members of Parliament. The quarterly statistical reports published by my Department contain information on the implementation of FoI in central Government, including the number of requests received, the timeliness of responses, and the outcomes of requests.
	However, it is estimated from information obtained during the Government's recent review of the Freedom of Information Act, that between 300 and 400 requests are made to central Government by Members of Parliament each year.

Freedom of Information

Eric Pickles: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when the Government plan to introduce legislation to amend the Freedom of Information Act 2000 provisions on calculating fees limits and aggregating requests.

Vera Baird: There are no plans to amend the Freedom of Information Act. However the Government are considering changes to the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004 to extend the activities which count towards the appropriate limit and to amend the circumstances in which public authorities may aggregate requests for the purposes of calculating the appropriate limit.
	The Government will take stock of the responses to the report of the independent review of the impact of the Act, published on 16 October 2006, before bringing forward any secondary legislation.

Iraq

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make it her policy that inquests into the deaths of soldiers in Iraq be undertaken by the coroner whose area of jurisdiction covers the home address of the soldier in question.

Harriet Harman: The law and guidance relevant to deaths abroad is set out as follows.
	In accordance with section 8 of the Coroners Act 1988 a coroner must hold an inquest when it is reported to him that the body of a deceased person is lying in his district and the death was violent, unnatural or sudden of unknown cause. In 1983 the Appeal Court ruled in the case of R.  v. West Yorkshire Coroner ex parte Smith that this duty applied (in respect of the legislation then extant and which remains unchanged) even in cases where both the death and its cause occurred outside England and Wales and was not discretionary. Under section 14 of the 1988 Act the coroner who has the body may request another coroner to hold the inquest if it is expedient to do so.
	In 1983 the Home Office (then responsible for coroners' law) issued a circular to all coroners drawing their attention to the Smith judgment and advising that, in cases involving a single death from outside England and Wales, the coroner local to where the funeral is to be held should normally deal with the inquest. It is for the coroner for the district where the body first arrived from abroad to make the decision whether to ask the local coroner to take the case in accordance with section 14 of the 1988 Act. The circular also advised that, where more than one death occurred abroad in the same incident, the coroner for the district where the bodies first arrived should retain jurisdiction.

Legal Aid

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect on the number of delayed and ineffective trials in the magistrates courts of the implementation of the new means test for legal aid; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: The new means test was only introduced in magistrates courts on 2 October 2006. It is too early to draw firm conclusions about its overall impact. Delays and ineffective hearings have been reported in some areas, particularly where solicitors are operating protocols. In other areas, the new scheme is startingto work effectively, as practitioners and others adjust to the new scheme. The Government will continue to monitor implementation closely, and will keep the working of the scheme under active review.

Legal Aid

John Baron: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the  (a) nationality,  (b) residence and  (c) citizenship criteria are for (i) access to and (ii) eligibility for civil legal aid.

Vera Baird: There is no residence, nationality or citizenship qualification for receiving civil, legal aid funding. Funding is available to anyone who qualifies, provided the applicant is using the courts of England and Wales and the case is within the scope of the scheme. Each application for funding is treated on an individual basis and is subject only to the statutory tests of the means of the applicant and the merits of their case.

Magistrates

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many and what proportion of magistrates in London, appointed since 1996, lived in the top 10 per cent. of the most deprived wards at the time of their appointment; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many and what proportion of magistrates in the Teesside area appointed since 1997 lived in the top 10 per cent. of deprived wards at the time of their appointment.

Harriet Harman: This Department does not record details showing how many and what proportion of magistrates lived in deprived wards at the time of their appointment. Advisory Committees on Justicesof the Peace follow The Secretary of State andLord Chancellor's Directions when making recommendations for appointment to the magistracy. This provides guidance that each Local Justice Area should broadly reflect the community it serves in terms of gender, ethnic origin, age, disability, geographical spread, occupation, and industry.

Ministerial Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs on how many occasions she has visited  (a) Wales and  (b) Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

Harriet Harman: During the last 12 months I have visited Wales once and haven't visited Northern Ireland. All ministerial visits are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much was spent on the Judges Pension Scheme in each year since 1980-81; what forecasts she has made of how much will be spent in each year between 2007-08 and 2050-51; and how many members of the scheme there are.

Harriet Harman: My Department has had financial and accounting responsibility for the Judicial Pension Schemes since 1 April 2003. Financial information on the schemes was not accounted for separately prior to that date.
	Information about scheme cost and membership (active and retired members) is included in the Scheme Resource Accounts which have been published for the years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06, and laid in the Library of the House.
	The Accounts include the Report of the Scheme Actuary prepared by the Government Actuary's Department which details the scheme liability, the capitalised value as at 31 March of each year of expected benefit entitlements under the scheme, for benefits accrued in respect of service (or former service) prior to 31 March. The Report of the Scheme Actuary also sets out the methodology used in calculating that liability and the principal financial assumptions used, including the discount rate.

Social Research Service

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the cost was of the Government Social Research Service in her Department in each of the last five years; how many projects have been completed by the service in that period; and how many people are employed in the service in her Department.

Vera Baird: All Government Social Researchers in DCA are located within the departmental research unit. Within this unit there are both specialist researchers and support staff. There are currently eight Government Social Researchers employed in DCA. The following list details departmental research unit spend for the last five financial years:
	
		
			  Total research spend by financial year (including paybill and running costs) 
			   Amount (£) 
			 2005-06 854,767 
			 2004-05 944,747 
			 2003-04(1) 1,091,037 
			 2002-03 837,804 
			 2001-02 568,981 
			 (1) Please note DCA was created in June 2003. Earlier figures relate to the Lord Chancellor's Department. 
		
	
	The total spend by the Government Social Research Service (GSR) in DCA does not necessarily equate to the total spend by DCA on social research, as research may be commissioned by others as part of wider projects. Records show a total of about 50 completed projects in that period funded by the service.

Welsh Language

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether her Department has adopted a Welsh language policy.

Vera Baird: In accordance with the Welsh Language Act 1993, the Department for Constitutional Affairs has prepared a Welsh language policy, which will be put out to public consultation once it has been cleared by the Welsh Language Board. It will be formally adopted, with any necessary changes, after consultation has been completed.
	In the period before the Welsh language policy is formally adopted, the Department, in the conduct of its public business in Wales, applies the principle, that the English and Welsh languages should be treated on a basis of equality so far as is appropriate in the circumstances and is reasonably practicable.
	Her Majesty's Courts Service is the largest executive agency of the Department for Constitutional Affairs and is responsible for managing the courts in England and Wales. Her Majesty's Courts Service has adopted its own Welsh language policy in recognition of the fact that it delivers services in Wales. Following approval by the Welsh Language Board, it came into effect on19 July 2005 and has recently been updated.

Prisoner Deportation

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs by what means her Department is notified of a recommendation for deportation after conviction of a defendant in court; what steps her Department takes thereafter; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
	The Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) will be notified of a judicial recommendation for deportation by the convicting Court and/or the receiving prison immediately following conviction.
	Upon notification of such a recommendation IND will establish whether an appeal has been lodged against the sentence and the result of any such appeal. IND will at the same time collate all papers relevant to the persons conviction and any previous convictions. Where there is no/an unsuccessful appeal IND will then consider whether in the light of all of the person known personal circumstances, any representations and the nature of the offence it is appropriate to deport the person. Where necessary enquiries will be made of the person to establish these personal circumstances.
	Where it is considered appropriate to proceed in line with the judicial recommendation the person will be served with a notice of decision to make a deportation order. This decision will attract a right of appeal.
	Where a person is unsuccessful in their appeal/or where the person fails to appeal IND will then submit a Deportation Order for signature by the Immigration Minister or duty Home Office Minister. Action will then be taken to deport the person on or as soon as possible after their release date.
	In my written Ministerial Statement of 19 July 2006,  Official Report, column 29WS, I set out the progress the Department is making in overhauling the system for the deportation of foreign national prisoners so that they face deportation and that this should happen as early as possible in their sentence.

Business Rating

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many businesses were on the ratings list in each Government office region in England in each year since 1996-97.

Phil Woolas: The number of hereditaments (properties liable to pay non-domestic rates) on the local rating list in each Government office region in England as at 1 April in each year since 1997 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of hereditaments as at 1 April 
			  Thousand 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 North east 74 73 73 72 74 74 74 74 74 74 
			 North west 234 233 220 220 223 223 235 234 233 234 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 167 166 167 166 169 170 170 170 170 171 
			 East Midlands 130 129 129 128 131 131 132 132 132 134 
			 West Midlands 172 172 172 171 175 175 176 177 178 179 
			 East of England 164 164 156 154 158 158 169 170 171 174 
			 London 277 277 298 295 299 299 278 278 278 280 
			 South east 233 232 232 232 236 237 238 240 240 243 
			 South west 173 173 173 172 176 176 177 177 179 181 
			 Total England 1,623 1,618 1,619 1,612 1,639 1,644 1,648 1,654 1,656 1,670 
			  Source: Valuation Office Agency 
		
	
	It is not possible to identify businesses that occupy more than one hereditament. Data prior to 1997are not shown as the regions were reorganised on the1 April 1997 and the data are not comparable.

Cash Machines

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will introduce planning guidance on the location of cash machines within new developments so as to facilitate crime reduction.

Yvette Cooper: 'Planning Policy Statement 1: Delivering Sustainable Development' (PPS1), published in 2005, places strong emphasis on the role of planning in helping to reduce crime. Planning authorities are asked to have robust policies which address crime prevention issues in their development plans. Crime prevention is also capable of being a material consideration in relation to planning applications.
	The Government have also published 'Safer Places: The Planning System and Crime Prevention' (ODPM/Home Office, 2004), which provides detailed advice on the layout of all buildings and spaces to reduce the risk of crime, including, where appropriate, the incorporation of target hardening measures such as CCTV, in new development. The guidance also urges planners, designers and crime prevention practitioners/police to work together to develop solutions from an early stage in the design process.
	The location of cash machines is a matter for banks and other providers, who should work closely with local authorities and, for example, the police, security industry and town centre management, to ensure that they are located in as safe an environment as possible.

Commission for Integration and Cohesion

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the budget is of the Commission for Integration and Cohesion.

Meg Munn: The Commission on Integration and Cohesion's budget is £558,500 for the financial year 2006-07.

Connect Programme

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the provisional budget is for the Government Connect Programme; and which Government agencies will participate.

Phil Woolas: The Department for Work andPensions and the Department for Communities and Local Government have just released an additional£10 million to establish the Government Connect service on a firm foundation. This brings the total budget to £26.5 million.
	We are now seeking with our local government partners to engage wider with central Government Departments over the next two years, to establish how using Government Connect can produce wider benefits.

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the Minister for Housing and Planning expects to reply to the letter from (Sir Michael Spicer) of 5 July 2006, on policy on private sector housing.

Yvette Cooper: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 25 July 2006. I have arranged for a copy to be sent to him.

Council Tax Rebates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which 16 councils and energy companies have piloted schemes where council tax rebates are offered to those who make energy saving changes to their homes.

Phil Woolas: There are now 34 local authorities running schemes, with funding from Centrica, that provide for rebates on council tax bills to householders undertaking certain energy efficiency measures in their homes.
	The local authorities are: Babergh, Braintree, Breckland, Broadland, Conwy, Croydon, Dartford, Daventry, Derbyshire Dales, Ellesmere Port and Neston, Fareham, Forest Heath, Ipswich, Kettering, Redditch, Runnymede, St. Edmundsbury, Salford, Sefton, Slough, Solihull, South Cambridgeshire, South Derbyshire, South Hams, South Norfolk, South Northamptonshire, South Shropshire, Suffolk Coastal, Tameside, Tamworth, Taunton Dean, Test Valley, Uttlesford and Wear Valley.

Departmental Staff

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff there are in her Department's ministerial private offices, broken down by grade; and how many there were in the predecessor department in 2005-06.

Angela Smith: As at 30 June 2006 the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) had 28 posts in the ministerial private offices. A breakdown by grade is as follows:
	
		
			  Grade  Number 
			 SCS level 1 
			 Grade 6 0 
			 Grade 7 2 
			 SEO 0 
			 HEO 10 
			 EO 9 
			 AO 6 
			 AA 0 
			 Total 28 
		
	
	Direct comparisons with predecessor Departments are not possible because DCLG has a different range of departmental responsibilities.

Ecton Lane Travellers' Site

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she will complete the review of Ecton Lane Travellers' site in Northamptonshire.

Meg Munn: My Department is not undertaking any review of the refurbishment scheme at the Ecton Lane Park caravan site. I wrote to the chief executive of Northampton borough council on 28 June to express my concern and to ask to be notified of the outcome of the council's own investigation. I understand that this is complete and I am now waiting to hear from the council as to its outcomes and any action that it intends to take.

English Partnerships

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the progress of English Partnerships' pilot hardcore brownfield programme.

Yvette Cooper: English Partnerships has developed a pilot programme of feasibility studies on brownfield sites in 14 areas to help inform development of proposals for a national strategy to increase the reuse of brownfield land.
	The main objective of the pilot projects is to identify the brownfield sites of greatest concern at the local level, to assess the hurdles that prevent the re-use of brownfield land and test different solutions to redevelopment, through local brownfield partnerships. The partnerships have already identified potential sites, tested the feasibility of the project proposals, whether housing, commercial or open space, and assessed current delivery mechanisms to bring projects forward. A total of eight projects are now being taken forward by English Partnerships with local authority, community and other partners. The next stage of the work will involve determining how each site could best be brought forward for development that meets local need.
	In the six remaining pilot sites English Partnerships will not take a direct delivery role. Delivery mechanisms have however been identified to facilitate the regeneration of these sites and English Partnerships remains in an advisory role to assist with redevelopment of the sites for the benefit of local communities.

Government Art Collection

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which works of art are on loan from the Government Art Collection to her Department.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government currently has the following works of art on loan from the Government Art Collection.
	
		
			  Title  Artist  Type 
			 Paradox No1 Derek Hirst Print 
			 Paradox No2 Derek Hirst Print 
			 Paradox No3 Derek Hirst Print 
			 Paradox No4 Derek Hirst Print 
			 Paradox No5 Derek Hirst Print 
			 Low Tide Julian Trevelyan Print 
			 Chiswick Mall Julian Trevelyan Print 
			 Phoenix (1) Ian Stephenson Print 
			 Phoenix (2) Ian Stephenson Print 
			 Phoenix (3) Ian Stephenson Print 
			 Phoenix (4) Ian Stephenson Print 
			 Phoenix (5) Ian Stephenson Print 
			 Phoenix (6) Ian Stephenson Print 
			 Netley Abbey C Tunstall Small Print 
			 Apse of Notre Dame Bernard Kay Print 
			 Chartres East Bernard Kay Print 
			 Chartes West Bernard Kay Print 
			 Interior Poitieres Bernard Kay Print 
			 Beauvais Bernard Kay Print 
			 Syon House Conservatory Charles Gautier Print 
			 Aubergines Andre Bicat Print 
			 Façade Six Eric Malthouse Print 
			 Façade Four Eric Malthouse Print 
			 The Boat to Greenwich—Wapping to Windsor Edward Ardizzone Print 
			 Shot Silk—35 Artists Printmaking Folio 1 Tim Mara Print 
			 Downs and Water Meadows Robert Tavener Print 
			 Old Barn and Farm, Tenterden Robert Tavener Print 
		
	
	This answer does not include buildings occupied by Government Offices, who carry out functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments.

Harlow Council v. Hall

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2006,  Official Report, column 138W, on Harlow Council v. Hall, how many such tenancies have been terminated; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the number of new affordable houses required in  (a) the North West,  (b) Cumbria and  (c) Westmorland and Lonsdale in each year until 2020.

Yvette Cooper: Local planning authorities are required to conduct a housing needs assessment and to consider the requirement for new affordable housing as part of the local development plan. The Regional Assembly is expected to assess the need for affordable housing to inform the Regional Housing Board decisions and the Regional Spatial Strategy. The Department has not conducted separate specific estimates.
	Planning policy on affordable housing is set out at a national level in PPG3. Planning authorities are required to have regard to these policies when preparing their development plans and these policies may be material to individual planning decisions.
	Regional policies on affordable housing are set out in Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for the north-west of England, formerly known as RPG13. Policy in existing RSS states that development plans should make provision for a range of dwelling, types, and sizes to meet the assessed need of all sectors of the community in both rural and urban areas based on up-to-date local housing needs studies. Regional policies provide guidance for local authorities when making decisions on the level of affordable housing in their local development plans; however they do not stipulate numbers for affordable housing. It is up to individual authorities to decide on the level of affordable housing required in their area in their local development plans in accordance with RPG13 and draft PPS3.
	The RSS is currently in the process of being reviewed. The North West Regional Assembly published the revised Draft RSS for a 12 week consultation on March 20 2006. The responses to the consultation will be examined by a panel set up by the Secretary of State. The panel will then carry out an Examination in Public to debate selected topics, based on issues raised in the consultation responses, before making their recommendations to the Secretary of State. As RSS is being revised local authorities continue to refer to the existing RSS for regional policy on affordable housing until the publication of the final RSS document—which is expected to be late 2007.

Housing

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the number of new affordable homes required in the East Riding of Yorkshire in each year until 2015; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The current Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for Yorkshire and the Humber sets a target of 4,000 affordable homes per year in Yorkshire and Humber as a whole but does not break this down to individual local authority areas. The new draft RSS proposes to increase the regional target to 6,000 affordable dwellings per year and proposes to provide a figure for each local planning authority expressed in terms of the percentage of affordable homes on sites of more than 15 homes. For East Riding of Yorkshire council, it is suggested that there is a "high level of need" and that 40 per cent. of homes should be affordable on sites of more than 15 homes. This approach is currently being tested at the Examination in Public. The panel will make recommendations to the Secretary of State and the final RSS will be agreednext year.
	Local planning authorities have responsibility for setting a numerical target for affordable housing provision in their area, taking account of relevant housing market assessments and local and regional strategies. The target should also take account of the anticipated levels of finance available for affordable housing, including public subsidy from the Housing Corporation and the level of developer contribution that can realistically be sought through Section 106 agreements. East Riding of Yorkshire council have set a target of providing 200 extra affordable homes per year to meet the loss of affordable homes and maintain the status quo. A Housing Needs Study has just been completed and is currently being assessed.

Human Trafficking

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with Foreign and Commonwealth Office colleagues on proposals to warn girls and women living outside the UK of the dangers of trafficking.

Meg Munn: Discussions about this issue are ongoing with Foreign Office colleagues in the Inter-Ministerial Group on trafficking of which I am a member. We are working internationally to prevent trafficking by investing in projects in source and transit countries to build capacity and raise awareness of traffickingwith potential victims. The Home Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department of International Development have all funded schemes aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of trafficking and building capacity.
	We have provided a total of £200,000 to fund various anti-trafficking projects in the Western Balkans, a key transit region. We have also given £70,000 to Anti-Slavery International for raising awareness of the abuses suffered by the victims of trafficking and remedial action in West Africa (including Benin, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Ghana, Niger and Togo). Additionally we have given £8.9 million for the International Labour Organisation's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) programme in the Greater Mekong region (parts of Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam). This involves a number of inter-linked interventions to raise awareness and prevent trafficking, and to withdraw women and children from labour exploitation and reintegrate them back into their own, or new, communities.

Islam and Muslim Affairs

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Communities and Local Government what arrangements her Department has in place for offering her advice on Islam and matters relating to Muslims; and who her advisers are on Islam and Muslim affairs.

Meg Munn: The Secretary of State is advised by her officials. This advice is informed by engagement with a diverse range of UK Muslim communities that she has met since taking on her current role.

Local Government

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many occasions the local government ombudsman concluded that local councils were found to have been guilty of  (a) maladministration and  (b) administrative fault in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what (i) definition and (ii) processes apply to each type of finding.

Phil Woolas: The information requested on the number of findings of maladministration by the ombudsman in 2005-06 and on the meaning and process which applies to such a finding, is available in the Ombudsman's Annual Report 2005006 at www.lgo.org.uk/annual.htm. Copies of the annual report will be placed in the Library of the House.
	The Local Government Act 1974, under the terms of which the ombudsman operates, does not make provision for the ombudsman to make a specific finding of "administrative fault".

Local Referendums

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has issued on whether a decision by local authority to hold a local referendum under the Local Government Act 2003 should be taken by  (a) a full council and  (b) an executive.

Phil Woolas: No such guidance has been issued. As this matter is not stipulated in regulations the decision is by default for the executive of the local authority to take, by virtue of section 13 of the Local Government Act 2000.

Local Referendums

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether county councils in two-tier local government areas may hold a local referendum; and which tier of local government should pay for the costs of a local referendum in a two-tier area.

Phil Woolas: A county council in a two-tier area may hold a local referendum either independently of, or in tandem with, local district councils. Funding would be a matter for the authorities concerned.

Microgeneration

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance is issued to local planning authorities on the processing of microgeneration applications; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 16 October 2006
	Some microgeneration equipment will be 'permitted development' and will not require an application for planning permission. The Government are looking to extend the scope of what is permitted development to enable more householders to install such technologies without the need for a planning application. We will consult in the next few months on our proposals.
	Where a planning application is required it should be assessed against the policies set out in the local planning authority's development plan. National planning policy on renewable energy, set out in Planning Policy Statement 22 (PPS22), expects these plans to promote and encourage renewable energy and can be companion guide that provides practical advice for considering proposals for renewable energy, including for microgeneration.

Planning

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 15 May 2006,  Official Report, column 813W, on planning, in how many of the cases listed Estates Partnerships played a role as  (a) applicant,  (b) agent and  (c) another role.

Yvette Cooper: Our records of planning applications and planning appeals considered by the Deputy Prime Minister and other planning Ministers, show no applications from Estate Partnerships, either as appellant or agent.
	We do not know which people and organisations are clients of Estate Partnerships and are therefore unable to provide any further answer with regard to them.

Policy Action Team 18

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what publications have been produced by her Department's Policy Action Team 18; and whether the action team remains in operation.

Phil Woolas: Policy Action Team 18 produced one report only titled "Better Information" published in April 2000. The action team itself no longer exists, however responsibility for the recommendations of the PAT 18 report were taken forward by a partnership of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the then Neighbourhood Renewal Unit (NRU) (now part of the Places and Communities Group, DCLG). As a result the Neighbourhood Statistics Service (NeSS) was launched.

PPG3

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1610W, on Planning Policy Guidance Note 3 (PPG3), whether the 1992 edition of PPG3 applied to Wales before the establishment of the National Assembly for Wales.

Yvette Cooper: A separate version, Planning Policy Guidance note 3 (Wales), Housing in Wales, was issued for Wales in 1992, but was subsequently cancelled and superseded by Planning Guidance Wales: Planning Policy, issued by the then Secretary of State for Wales in 1996. This 1996 guidance was itself replaced in 2002 by the Welsh Assembly Government's Planning Policy Wales document referred to in my earlier answer.

Regeneration (Thames Gateway)

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to ensure that the Building Regulations ensure  (a) a satisfactory standard in the case of modern construction materials and techniques and  (b) that the value of innovative products and techniques is recognised.

Angela Smith: Building Regulations are concerned with the health and safety of people in and around buildings, and with the accessibility and energy efficiency of buildings. The Regulations prescribe performance standards which apply equally to modern and traditional construction products and techniques. The Department keeps the Regulations under review, including their applicability to modern products and techniques.

Regional Fire Control Rooms

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when a draft version of the full business case for regional fire control rooms will be published.

Angela Smith: A draft of the FiReControl Full Business Case will be published shortly. On publication a copy will be placed in the House Library along with FRS Circular 63/2005 which sets out implementation funding for the project and details which costs will be met by Central Government.

Thames Gateway

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made towards the target in Creating Sustainable Communities: Making it Happen for the creation of 160,000 to 180,000 new jobs in the Thames Gateway between 2003 and 2016.

Yvette Cooper: The number of employees in the Thames Gateway has already increased from 548,580 in 1998 to 637,866 in 2004.
	Later this year, the Department will publish a Strategic Framework for the Thames Gateway. It will have at its core an economic rationale for the Gateway, developed in partnership with the three Thames Gateway Regional Development Agencies and the Thames Gateway Sub-Regional Partnerships. The Department plans to publish a baseline report alongside the Framework, which will describe the position at the start of the programme in 2003. We intend to use this to produce progress updates at appropriate intervals thereafter.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham (Mr. Hands), of 4 September 2006,  Official Report, column 1680W, on the Valuation Office Agency, what the logarithmic variable formula is.

Phil Woolas: The term "logarithmic variable formula" is not used within the Valuation Office Agency (VOA). The formula referred to in the previous answer is the basic structure of the formulae used in all log linear regression modelling within the VOA's automated valuation model (AVM).

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 18 July 2006,  Official Report, column 367W, on the Valuation Office Agency, what the cost was to public funds of purchasing the ACORN data from CACI Information Solutions; and for what purposes it was purchased.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to theanswer given to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) on 12 October 2006,  Official Report, column 881W.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether Neighbourhood is one of the variables in the Valuation Office Agency's automated valuation model's multiple regression formula.

Phil Woolas: No.

Waste Management (London)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will publish the consultancy reports that have been commissioned by her Department relating to the review of waste management arrangements in London.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 16 October 2006
	I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by the Minister for the Local Environment on 16 October 2006,  Official Report, columns 907-08W.

Prisons

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have been transferred between prison establishments in the last 12 months.

Gerry Sutcliffe: 69,636 prison to prison transfers were recorded by the inter-prison transfer contractor between August 2005 and July 2006.
	The number of prison to prison transfers arranged locally by prisons are not recorded centrally.

Police

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the funding of Greater Manchester police will be in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The provisional grant settlement for 2007-08 was originally announced in December 2005. Formula grant funding for Greater Manchester Police was provisionally set at £432.6 million.
	Council tax funding is a matter for Greater Manchester Police Authority.
	Government expects to see an average council tax increase of less than 5 per cent. in England in 2007-08.

Police

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the total amount of police officer time spent waiting at the custody desk; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 12 September 2006
	The period of time required to process a suspect at a police station will vary according to the changing operational priorities within each police station, the individual circumstances of the suspect and the suspected offence or offences. An activity based costing (ABC) model has been developed to help managers within the police service to calculate the costs of policing activities, including time spent in police custody suites, and inform efficiency improvements.

Identity Cards

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what factors are most likely to alter his recent estimate of the cost of implementing the national identity card scheme.

Liam Byrne: The key factors affecting costs are the numbers of staff and premises. Particularly important is the staff time taken to process applications. This will be different to the current passport process as people will visit a local office to allow for the recording of biometric data.

Anver Sheikh

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the implications of the quashing ofthe Anver Sheikh case in the Court of Appeal on16 October for the quality of the case originally brought.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I cannot comment on individual cases, however, I am sure that the Crown Prosecution Service will consider carefully what the Court of Appeal says when the full judgment is published.
	Since the Home Affairs Committee Report in 2002, much has been done to improve the way that investigations of historic child abuse are carried out. In particular, guidance from ACPO and the CPS has been developed and reflects lessons learned from the original investigations which took place in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Licensing Laws

Christine Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of the new licensing laws on combating crime.

Vernon Coaker: The Licensing Act has given police and partner agencies greater powers to tackle alcohol-related crime and disorder. The Home Office is undertaking an assessment of the change in the timing and volume of violent offences and criminal damage from October 2004. Initial results, from a sample of police forces that have voluntarily provided data which show what time of day these crimes are committed were published in Crime in England and Wales 2005-06 in July 2006. The data show no indication of a rise in the overall level of violent offences and criminal damage.

Auction Websites

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the level of criminal activity on UK-based internet auction websites.

Vernon Coaker: Online markets and auction sites can potentially be used to facilitate a range of crimes including the sale of proscribed goods (from child abuse images to guns and knives, and pharmaceutical products), the sale of stolen and counterfeit goods, theft and fraud. Partly because of the clandestine nature of some forms of crime and partly because of the pace of development of online marketplace we do not have figures on the level of criminal activity.
	Many online marketplaces have developed good working relationships with UK police forces. There have been a number of successful joint operations into the sale of stolen or proscribed goods. For example, a recent successful operation in London involving the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit (NMPCU) and eBay to tackle the sale of blocked or barred phones led to 13 arrests. Following that operation, eBay banned people selling stolen, blocked and barred mobile phone handsets on its UK site and produced joint guidance with NMPCU warning the public about the risks of buying stolen handsets and providing advice about how to avoid them.

Crime Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded crimes there were in each of the last 30 years; and what the percentage change was in the number of reported crimes between each of those years.

Tony McNulty: The requested information is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Recorded crime in England and Wales 1975 to 2005-06 
			   Total recorded offences  Percentage change over previous year 
			 1975 2,105,631 — 
			 1976 2,135,713 1.4 
			 1977 2,636,517 23.4 
			 1978 2,561,499 -2.8 
			 1979 2,536,737 -1.0 
			 1980 2,688,235 6.0 
			 1981 2,963,764 10.2 
			 1982 3,262,422 10.1 
			 1983 3,247,030 -0.5 
			 1984 3,499,107 7.8 
			 1985 3,611,883 3.2 
			 1986 3,847,410 6.5 
			 1987 3,892,201 1.2 
			 1988 3,715,767 -4.5 
			 1989 3,870,748 4.2 
			 1990 4,543,611 17.4 
			 1991 5,276,173 16.1 
			 1992 5,591,717 6.0 
			 1993 5,526,255 -1.2 
			 1994 5,252,980 -4.9 
			 1995 5,100,241 -2.9 
			 1996 5,036,552 -1.2 
			 1997 4,598,327 -8.7 
			 1997-98 4,545,337 -1.2 
			 1998-99 (old rules) 4,481,817 -1.4 
			 1998-99 (new rules)(1) 5,109,089 (2)— 
			 1999-2000 5,301,187 3.8 
			 2000-01 5,170,843 -2.5 
			 2001-02(3) 5,525,024 (4)— 
			 2002-03(3,5) 5,974,960 8.1 
			 2003-04 6,013,759 0.6 
			 2004-05(6) 5,640,573 -6.2 
			 2005-06 5,556,513 -1.5 
			 (1) The following changes were made from 1 April 1998: the change to the Home Office Counting Rules for recorded crime had the effect of increasing the number of crimes counted. Numbers of offences for years before and after this date are therefore not directly comparable. "Other wounding" (8) split into "Other wounding" (8A); "Possession of weapons" (8B) and "Harassment" (8C) "Other frauds" (53A) split into "Cheque and credit card fraud" (53A) and "Other fraud" (53B) "Cruelty or neglect of children" (11) became notifiable "Assault on a constable" (104) became notifiable "Common assault" (105) became notifiable "Possession of controlled drugs" (92B) and "other drug offences" became notifiable A number of other offences, classification numbers 26, 55, 75, 78, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 89, 90, 91, 94, 126,139, 802 and 814 became notifiable Other changes Racially aggravated offences became notifiable from 30 September 1998, but were only separately recorded from 1 April 1999 "Abuse of position of trust" (73) became notifiable from 1 January 2001 (2) Not comparable due to changes in counting rules. (3) Introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) across England and Wales on 1 April 2002. Some forces adopted the Standard prior to this date. Broadly, the NCRS had the effect of increasing the number of crimes recorded by the police. Therefore, following the introduction of the Standard, numbers of recorded crimes are not comparable with previous years. The change in definition relating to resultant injury in common assaults and less serious woundings, which applies from 1 April 2002, is described in the 'Common Assault' text box in Chapter 5 of HOSB 07/03. "Religiously Aggravated" offences were included with "Racially Aggravated" offences from 1 April 2002. "Disclosure, Obstruction, False or Misleading Statements etc." was added to the series from 1 April 2002. (4) Not comparable due to changes introduced under the National Crime Recording Standard. (5) Includes the British Transport police from 2002-03 onwards. (6) The introduction of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in May 2004 resulted in substantial changes to the sexual offences. This means that figures for 2004-05 are not comparable with those for previous years.

Foreign Prisoners

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) drugs offences and  (b) other criminal offences were discovered between1 January and 1 August 2006 in (i) Colnbrook, (ii) Yarl's Wood, (iii) Harmondsworth, (iv) Campsfield House, (v) Dover, (vi) Dungavel, (vii) Haslar, (viii) Lindholme, (ix) Oakington and (x) Tinsley House immigration detention centres.

Liam Byrne: In relation to drug offences and other criminal offences within Immigration Removal Centres during the period 1 January to 1 August 2006: (i) there have been five drug offences and five other criminal offences at Colnbrook; (ii) Yarl's Wood has had no instances of either type of offence; (iii) Harmondsworth has had 10 drug offences and 30 other offences; (iv) Campsfield House has had no such offences; (v) Dover has had no drug offences and one other criminal case; (vi) Dungavel has had no drug offences but one other offence; (vii) Haslar has had no offences of either type; (viii) Lindholme has had no drug offences but two criminal offences; (ix) Oakington has had no offences of either type and (x) Tinsley House has also had no offences of either type. Overall there was a total of 15 drug offences and 39 other criminal offences.
	
		
			  Centre  Drug offence  Other offence 
			 Colnbrook 5 5 
			 Yarl's Wood 0 0 
			 Harmondsworth 10 30 
			 Campsfield House 0 0 
			 Dover 0 1 
			 Dungavel 0 1 
			 Haslar 0 0 
			 Lindholme 0 2 
			 Oakington 0 0 
			 Tinsley House 0 0 
			 Total 15 39

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what police initiatives are planned to target traffickers and trafficked people.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 16 October 2006
	I cannot comment on current police operations/activity. The UK human trafficking centre will be in a position to co-ordinate any national operations that the police decide to carry out in the future, including any follow up to the very successful Operation Pentameter.

Malaysia

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals have been granted by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal against refusals to grant leave to remain to British overseas citizens from the Malaysian states of Penang and Malacca in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) does not hold information on appeals brought against refusals to grant leave to remain to British overseas citizens. We are unable to provide this information requested without incurring disproportionate costs.
	Provisional information shows that of 5,859 appeals brought against a decision to curtail, refuse to extend or vary leave to remain and promulgated in the period April to June 2006, 28 per cent. (1,644) were granted. It is not possible to specify the immigration decision being appealed.

Naturalisation

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the requirement is for the retention of papers relating to interviews and processing of naturalisation requests; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 17 October 2006
	Naturalisation applicants are not routinely interviewed. Papers relating to the processing of applications are retained on file indefinitely.
	Ministers are currently considering proposals for a retention and destruction policy for all Immigration and Nationality Directorate's applicants' files, which would include files on those applying for naturalisation.

Neighbourhood Policing

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the implementation of neighbourhood policing in Pembrokeshire.

Tony McNulty: We are committed to ensuring that Neighbourhood Policing will be introduced to every community in England and Wales by April 2007, and that every community will have a Neighbourhood Policing team by April 2008.
	Dyfed-Powys Police, which is the force responsible for policing Pembrokeshire, is on track to meet both of these targets.

Police (Milton Keynes)

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) community support officers there were and  (b) frontline policemen were on the beat in Milton Keynes Basic Command Unit in each year between 1997 and 2005.

Tony McNulty: Milton Keynes is a Basic Command Unit (BCU) within the Thames Valley Police force.
	Data for police community support officer strength at the BCU level are not collected as part of National Statistics; however they are collected by the Police Human Resources Unit and are included. Data for police community support officer strength at the force level are available from 2002-03 onwards and therefore for data for Thames Valley Police are given in the following tables.
	Data for police officer strength (total police officers including both males and females) at the BCU level are available from 2002-03 onwards and are given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Police community support officer strength within Thames Valley police force (FTE)( 1)  as at 31 March 2004—05( 2) 
			  As at 31 March each year:  Thames Valley Police Force 
			  2004 7 
			  2005 98 
			 (1) Full Time Equivalent. Includes those officers on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (2 )Police community support officers were introduced in statue in 2002, therefore data is not available prior to 2002-03. 
		
	
	
		
			  Police community support officer strength within Milton Keynes BCU (FTE)( 1)  as at 30 June 2005( 2) 
			  As at 30 June each year:  Milton Keynes BCU( 3) 
			  2005 11 
			  2006 not available 
			 (1) Full Time Equivalent. This figure includes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (2) Data not available prior to 2005 and has not yet been validated for 2006. (3) Data collated and published by Police Human Resources Unit. This data was provided by the force and does not form part of National Statistics. 
		
	
	
		
			  Police officer strength within Milton Keynes BCU (FTE)( 1)  as at 31 March 2003-05( 2) 
			  As at 31 March each year:  Milton Keynes BCU 
			 2003 346 
			 2004 371 
			 2005 378 
			 (1) Full Time Equivalent. Includes those officers on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (2) Data not available prior to 2002-03.

Prisoner Deportation

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what means his Department is notified of a judicial recommendation for deportation after conviction of a defendant.

Liam Byrne: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) will be notified of a judicial recommendation for deportation by the convicting Court and/or the receiving prison immediately following conviction.
	Upon notification of such a recommendation IND will establish whether an appeal has been lodged against the sentence and the result of any such appeal. IND will at the same time collate all papers relevant to the persons conviction and any previous convictions. Where there is no/an unsuccessful appeal IND will then consider whether in the light of all of the person known personal circumstances, any representations and the nature of the offence it is appropriate to deport the person. Where necessary enquiries will be made of the person to establish these personal circumstances.
	Where it is considered appropriate to proceed in line with the judicial recommendation the person will be served with a notice of decision to make a deportation order. This decision will attract a right of appeal.
	Where a person is unsuccessful in their appeal/or where the person fails to appeal IND will then submit a Deportation Order for signature by the Immigration Minister or duty Home Office Minister. Action will then be taken to deport the person on or as soon as possible after their release date.
	In my written Ministerial Statement of 19 July 2006,  Official Report, column 29WS, I set out the progress the Department is making in overhauling the system for the deportation of foreign national prisoners so that they face deportation and that this should happen as early as possible in their sentence.

Aerospace Research

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with European and Aeronautic Defence and Space Company on the establishment of a research and development facility in the UK.

Margaret Hodge: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, had discussions with EADS at the Farnborough Air Show in July, and was able to announce that EADS had agreed in principle to establish a research and development facility in the UK. This is one of the measures intended to deepen its strategic relationship with the UK.
	Since then, officials from my Department have been in close discussions with EADS to determine the scope and scale of the centre, although no decisions have yet been taken on its location.

Arms Exports

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received about UK arms exports being used  (a) by (i) criminal gangs, (ii) pariah states, (iii) terrorists, (iv) paramilitaries and (v) rebel forces and  (b) for the purposes of human rights abuses.

Malcolm Wicks: I have received a large number of representations concerning UK arms exports being used by undesirable end-users for the purpose of human rights abuses.
	I can assure the hon. Member that, all export licence applications are considered on a case-by-case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria, taking into account of the circumstances prevailing at the time and other relevant announced Government polices, this includes a thorough consideration of the risk of diversion to undesirable end-users. Should it be judged that an export would contravene any of the criteria, the application would be refused.

Broadband

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he or his officials have had with  (a) the Department for Communities and Local Government,  (b) the Treasury and  (c) Ofcom on (i) the exemption of local loop unbundling broadband operators from non-domestic rates and (ii) any interim arrangements to ensure that the operators are subject to the same effective non-domestic rate as BT; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), Valuation Office Agency (VOA) and Office of Communications (Ofcom) have held formal and informal discussions with British Telecom (BT) and local loop unbundling operators on this subject and there will be further discussions as part of the work on finding a long-term solution.
	Local loops are not exempt from non-domestic rates. BT is currently liable for non- domestic rates on all unbundled local loops in England until 31 March 2008. Local loop operators pay an annual charge to BT for each local loop they unbundled. BT is entitled to recover a contribution to their non-domestic rates bill within this annual charge, as determined by Ofcom.
	A consultation paper was issued by DCLG in December 2005 proposing various options including regulating to make BT responsible for the rates liability on all local loop unbundles in England as a short term option. DCLG intends to issue a further consultation paper on the long-term options.

Communications Act

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many prosecutions there have been for the sending of illegal spam under the Communications Act 2003.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 9 October 2006
	There have been no such prosecutions under the Communications Act 2003 and I do not expect any in the foreseeable future. This does not mean that spammers are evading the law. The vast majority of spammers work outside of UK jurisdiction and problems within the UK are addressed by the Information Commissioner using powers granted under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003. These Regulations set out the consent rules for receiving unsolicited commercial emails. The Information Commissioner's investigations into breaches of the Regulations have resulted in enforcement actions that have been effective and have not needed to be progressed to a prosecution. Our approach to the problem of spam does not rely on regulation and enforcement alone. We pursue a more comprehensive approach that involves consumer education, technical solutions and effective enforcement through national action and collaboration with other enforcement authorities. My Department has been one of the principal drivers of the OECD's London Action Plan that exemplifies this multi-faceted approach.

Departmental Staff

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many disabled people were hired by his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available; what percentage of the overall workforce these figures represented in each year; and how many disabled people left their employment in his Department over the same period.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Data on the disabled status of civil servants entrants and leavers is available for 2003, 2004 and 2005. Data are published on the Cabinet Office website at: http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/reports/index.asp.
	Comparable information for earlier years is not available.
	Departmental records of disabled staff are based solely on voluntary self-declaration of disability. Staff may choose to declare a disability at any point in their career, not only at the point of entry to the Department.

Employment Rights

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what new employment rights have been provided by legislation introduced since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 16 October 2006
	In addition to creating record levels of employment, we have also introduced a safety net of protections for people at work:
	A minimum wage of £5.35 an hour from October 2006;
	A minimum wage for 16 to 17-year-olds, up to £3.30 from October 2006;
	A free choice to work longer, but a right not to work more than 48 hours on average a week;
	Rest periods;
	Four weeks' paid leave;
	Access to a discipline and grievance procedure;
	A reduction in the qualifying period for unfair dismissal from two years to one;
	Protection for workers raising concerns about wrongdoing at work (through the Public Interest Disclosure Act);
	Comprehensive reform of the Regulations governing employment agencies and businesses;
	Increased maternity leave;
	Paternity leave, adoption leave, parental leave and time-off for domestic emergencies;
	A right to request flexible working with an obligation on employers to treat the request seriously.
	A right to no discrimination on grounds of religion or belief, disability, sexual orientation or age;
	Equal treatment for part-time and fixed-term employees compared with their full-time or permanent colleagues;
	A right for employees to be informed and consulted by their employer;
	Revised and updated TUPE regulations.
	For trade unions members we have provided:
	A right to trade union recognition for collective bargaining in specified circumstances;
	A right for a union official to accompany a worker to a disciplinary or grievance hearing;
	Enhanced protections against unfair dismissal for employees taking part in lawfully organised industrial action, including the 12 week period of automatic protection against dismissal;
	Improved rights to belong to trade unions, including rights to use the services of the union.

Energy Markets

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the cost to British consumers and industry of lost opportunities in those EU countries which have not liberalised their energy markets.

Malcolm Wicks: We have made no estimate of such costs to the UK. However we believe the gains to be had from a properly functioning EU energy market in terms of reliable, affordable and sustainable energy are significant. For example we estimate that a properly functioning competitive EU gas market could have saved UK consumers in the order of £5 billion in the calendar year 2005.
	The Government fully supports the moves the Commission is taking to develop competition in the sector and looks forward to its proposals for further action when it publishes its Strategic Energy Review and the conclusions from the sectoral inquiry in January.

Furniture Sector

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people are employed in the furniture sector in the UK; and how many were employed in the sector in  (a) 1980,  (b) 1990 and  (c) 2000.

Margaret Hodge: Employment in the furniture manufacturing industry (standard industrial classification SIC 31.6) in the UK in  (a) 1986,  (b) 1990,  (c) 2000 and  (d) 2004 (the latest available figures for the UK) are as follows:
	
		
			   Employment (000) 
			 1986 107 
			 1990 124 
			 2000 155 
			 2004 126 
			  Source: ONS, Annual Census of Production and Annual Business Inquiry. 
		
	
	Information on employment in the furniture manufacturing industry prior to 1986 is not available, on a basis consistent with the figures presented in the table, due to changes in the standard industrial classification structure.

Furniture Sector

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what his Department's long-term policy is towards the furniture industry.

Margaret Hodge: DTI has been carrying out a review of its Business Relations functions. This has included looking at whether we are concentrating our resources on the right sectors and issues, taking into account the value that our business relations activities can add. I am currently considering the review recommendations with ministerial colleagues.

Furniture Sector

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he last met representatives of the furniture industry.

Margaret Hodge: There have been no recent meetings between the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and representatives of the furniture industry.
	Nigel Griffiths, formerly the Minister for Small Business, spoke at a reception for the Furniture Industry Strategy Group on 25 January 2005, at the Furniture Show, NEC Birmingham.
	DTI officials have continued to maintain a regular dialogue previously with the Furniture Industry Strategy Group (FISG), with the newly formed British Furniture Confederation and with UK First, the Furniture Industry Forum.

Nuclear Stocks

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the written statement of 20 July 2006,  Official Report, column 54WS, on civil plutonium and uranium stocks, if he will clarify the reason for the 200 kg reduction in the quantity of plutonium contained in unirradiated MOX fuel or other fabricated products at reactor sites or elsewhere; in what part of the reprocessing process the plutonium is lost; where it is now; what his definition of down-blending is; and who is responsible for accounting for such materials.

Malcolm Wicks: Further detailed analysis of the Annual Statement has identified a clerical error occurred in the allocation of material to the appropriate Civil Unirradiated Plutonium category.
	This has resulted in the figure for plutonium in unirradiated MOX fuel or other fabricated products at reactor sites or elsewhere being less than it should be. This has not affected the total plutonium holding. Revised figures for the UK's stocks of civil plutonium and uranium will be placed in the Libraries of the House and the Department's website once they have been verified.
	The material has not physically moved and has been accounted for on a monthly basis. The material in question is not part of any process losses.
	Down-blending is the opposite process to enrichment. Uranium with a high U-235 content is mixed with uranium with a lower U-235 content to give a product with an intermediate U-235 content, which depends on the relevant proportions of the start materials. In this instance high enriched uranium residues, recovered during decommissioning operations at the Capenhurst Gaseous Diffusion Plant, are blended with either low enriched uranium or depleted uranium to give a product containing less than 5 per cent. U-235.
	The accounting of such materials is the responsibility of individual site licence companies.

Oil Industry

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on which occasions during the last 10 years did stocks of Category 2 refined oil products fall short of the UK's Compulsory Stocking Obligations; and by what proportion stocks of Category 2 products fell short on each occasion when the Compulsory Stocking Obligation was not met.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 19 October 2006
	The following table shows the percentage shortfall in the UK's Category 2 obligation by month since January 1998. Where no shortfall is shown the UK was compliant or in surplus. Data by category are not available prior to 1998.
	
		
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 January — — — -16 — -12 -8 — — 
			 February — — — -10 — -11 -10 — — 
			 March — — — -8 -3 -7 -11 — — 
			 April -1 — — -4 -1 -5 -6 — -2 
			 May — — -2 -2 -3 -5 -6 — — 
			 June -4 — — -2 — -12 -2 — -3 
			 July — — — — — -11 — — — 
			 August — — — -2 -4 -9 -7 — — 
			 September — — -3 -6 -5 -11 — — — 
			 October — — -8 — — -4 -1 — — 
			 November -2 — -5 — — -1 — — — 
			 December — — -9 — -7 -5 — -4 — 
		
	
	The failure to meet that part of our obligations relating to Category 2 was caused by market changes, with small companies below the threshold for the obligation entering a supply chain previously dominated by oil companies. In 2003 and 2004 we agreed short-term additional obligations with the industry, which have ensured a surplus in most subsequent months. We also held a public consultation, and are working with industry on a new system, based on product from refineries or entering the UK as imports, capable of meeting the national obligation in the long-term.

Peugeot

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what  (a) Government and  (b) EU grants Peugeot has received in the last 15 years; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 18 October 2006
	In 1994, Peugeot received £900,000 for investment in the 306 model, followed by £2 million in 1998 towards the cost of investment to add a third shift at a time of strong demand for its 206 model. In November 2004, a grant of £14.4 million was offered to Peugeot for manufacture of the 207 at Ryton, but the project did not proceed.
	The Government also offers various forms of technology grant. Peugeot has participated in consortia which have received grants, although it is not believed that the company has received any direct funding.
	The Government are not aware of Peugeot's UK activities having received any R&D grants direct from European Union institutions. The Government do not routinely collate data regarding grants received by automotive companies elsewhere in the EU from either the EU itself or other Governments.

Post Office Closures

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many proposed post office closures have been withdrawn following the formal consultation period in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Over the last five years, Post Office Ltd. carried out its planned closures of post office branches in urban areas under its Urban Network Reinvention Programme. All proposed closures were managed through a formal consultation process agreed with and monitored by Postwatch, the independent consumer watchdog.
	Under the urban reinvention programme, there were a total of 76 post office branch closure proposalsthat were permanently withdrawn following the consultation process. The programme is now complete.

Sellafield

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many freedom of information requests have been made to his Department in respect of Sellafield since January 2005; how many have received a substantive reply providing the information requested; how many have been refused; and on what grounds each refusal was made.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department has received five FOI requests in respect of Sellafield since January 2005.
	Of those five requests, two were refused in full under s12 of the FOI Act as the cost of compliance would have exceeded the "appropriate limit" cost threshold. The requesters were offered advice and assistance on how to refine their requests but did not take up this opportunity.
	One request was refused in full under s36 of the Act, exempting information whose disclosure would prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs, and another was refused in part under the same exemption.
	The final request was refused in part with some information withheld under the exemptions at s41 exempting information provided in confidence and s43 exempting information whose disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Small Businesses

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to encourage and promote the development of small businesses in North East Derbyshire.

Margaret Hodge: From 1 April 2007 East Midlands Business (EMB) Ltd will deliver the Business Link service, of Information, Diagnosis and Brokering, across the region including NE Derbyshire. The move to a regional model will support improvements in the service to customers and deliver better value for money for the public purse. Steps have already been taken to ensure resources are focussed on front line delivery to small businesses.
	EMB Ltd will invest in state of the art technology to provide a more consistent service to clients and extended service availability. Brokers will be available to give specialist advice to rural businesses; tourism businesses; women-owned businesses; social enterprises; ethnic minority owned businesses; and to give advice on overseas trade and exporting.
	As well as these improvements to business support there are also other programmes on offer to small businesses in the area to assist both start up and expansion. These include:
	The Universal Start-up Offer—this includes the New Business New Life campaign promoting enterprise, as well as a package of tailored information, training and advice to start up businesses (delivered under the Business Link banner).
	Business Mentoring Programme—to give 1-1 mentoring support.
	Support for companies with the potential for High Growth.
	The Manufacturing Advisory Service—to promote innovation and efficiencies within manufacturing companies.
	Prince's Trust programme which provides assistance to disadvantaged young people to start businesses.
	In addition to the above there are a number of other schemes to assist business development in NE Derbyshire. These include a variety of ERDF technology and finance initiatives, an Innovation Advisory Service, and the Enterprise Accelerator. Local small businesses can access these through their local business link or via the Alliance Subregional Strategic Partnership (SSP).
	All of the above constitute a comprehensive package of support to encourage the expansion and development of small businesses in NE Derbyshire.

Tumble Dryers

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions his Department has had with CORGI regarding the installation of gas-powered domestic tumble dryers.

Jim Fitzpatrick: None. Issues relating to installation of gas appliances are matters for the HSE. I am advised by HSE that they have not been approached by CORGI regarding the installation of gas-powered domestic tumble dryers.

Audiologists

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the waiting times for audiology treatment are in  (a) West Sussex and  (b) England.

Ivan Lewis: The Department does not collect waiting time information for fitting and treatment in audiology services. Since January 2006 waiting time data has been collected for pure tone audiometry (PTA) diagnostic tests and the most recent information from July 2006 was published on 13 September. Information on England and West Sussex for PTA diagnostic tests is contained in the following table.
	A trajectory has been set to deliver audiology diagnostic tests within 13 weeks by March 2007 and6 weeks by December 2008. A national audiology action plan is being developed that will include action on waiting times.
	
		
			  July diagnostic return—Pure tone audiometry (published 13 September) 
			   Total waiting  Number waiting 13+ weeks  Number waiting 26+ weeks 
			 National Summary 128,082 81,346 58,038 
			 Western Sussex PCT 127 61 31

Dementia

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the cost of dementia to  (a) the NHS and  (b) social services departments for(i) 2004-05 and (ii) 2005-06.

Ivan Lewis: No assessment has been made by the Department estimating the costs of dementia to the national health service and social service departments for 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the total carbon emission from her Department's buildings in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: The reported carbon emissions (weather corrected) from the Department's administrative estate from 1999-2000, in KgC are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 1999-2000 2,132,304 
			 2000-2001 1,994,142 
			 2001-2002 1,902,955 
			 2002-2003 1,977,187 
			 2003-2004 2,026,227 
			 2004-2005 1,916,133 
		
	
	The figures do not take account of the Department's purchase of "green" energy. Since 2003-4 at least 50 per cent. of our electricity has been from renewable sources.
	Information is not available for years prior to 1999.

Departmental Expenditure

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much was spent by her Department on food and alcohol for its staff working out of office in each year since 2001-02;
	(2)  how much was spent by  (a) her Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies in respect of hotel and other similar privately-provided accommodation (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad for  (A) Ministers,  (B) staff and  (C) other persons in each year since 2001-02.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The costs associated with hotel and other privately provided accommodation are not required to be separately identified by the Department's financial reporting system. All claims for general subsistence are in line with the Department's expenses guide and payments for alcoholic drinks are exceptional.
	Under the terms of the ministerial code, travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code, Ministers and departmental officials are expected to make efficient and cost-effective arrangements. We are satisfied that all claims paid conform to these codes.

Hospices

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of core budget requirements for the hospice movement in England is provided by central Government.

Ivan Lewis: Data supplied by Help the Hospices states that, in 2004 NHS funding for adult voluntary hospices averaged 38 per cent. of expenditure, although this figure varied across the country. It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to determine how to use the funding allocated to them to commission services to meet the health care needs of their local populations. There is no requirement that PCTs should ensure voluntary hospices receive a fixed proportion of public funding and there are no plans to introduce a requirement. The level of funding agreed is a matter for local negotiation between the PCT and the hospice.

Lyme Disease

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of Lyme disease there are estimated to have been in England in each year since 1997; why the disease is not a notifiable disease; and what action her Department is taking to ensure that the disease is accurately recognised and treated.

Caroline Flint: The number of laboratory reports of Lyme borreliosis: England and Wales, 1997 to 2005, acquired in the United Kingdom or abroad are as follows:
	
		
			   Cases acquired in the United Kingdom)  Cases acquired abroad (percentage)  Total cases 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  
			 1997 140 83 28 17 168 
			 1998 137 85 25 15 162 
			 1999 119 81 29 19 148 
			 2000 246 77 76 23 322 
			 2001 215 81 53 19 268 
			 2002 269 79 71 21 340 
			 2003 265 91 27 9 292 
			 2004 425 85 75 15 500 
			 2005 488 82 107 18 595 
			 Total (1997 to 2005) 2,304 82 491 18 2,795 
			  Source: Health Protection Agency 
		
	
	These cases have been confirmed by laboratory testing. More cases will occur than those diagnosed in laboratories as infection can occur without any symptoms and, when symptoms are obvious, it can be diagnosed without the need for laboratory confirmation.
	Diseases are made 'notifiable' to aid rapid detection of other cases and to control the spread of serious infection from person to person. As Lyme disease is not transmissible from person to person it is not necessary to apply formal notification procedures to it. It is however reportable by laboratories to the Health Protection Agency (HPA).
	In order to ensure that Lyme disease is accurately recognised and treated, the HPA has produced protocols and guidance for clinicians on the clinical forms, diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease and this is published on its website:
	http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/zoonoses/lyme_borreliosis/menu.htm.
	Advice and laboratory diagnostic confirmatory testing is freely and readily available for all clinicians from the HPA's Lyme Reference Unit. Awareness of Lyme disease has been raised through presentations and publications aimed at many different groups of health care professionals. The dangers of Lyme disease has also been brought to the attention of workers who are at risk through occupational exposure, recreational special interest groups and to the general public.

Mental Health

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children had mental disorders severe enough to require treatment in each year since 1996.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not collected centrally. In a 2004 follow up survey of children and adolescents by the Office for National Statistics (Mental Health of Children and Young People in Great Britain, ONS August 2005), it was found that 10 per cent. of 5 to 16-year-olds in Great Britain had a clinically diagnosed mental disorder. No change in the overall prevalence of mental disorders was found when compared to the original survey in 1999.
	The prevalence rates for individual disorders are shown in the report, which is available in the Library.

Mental Health

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time to see a child psychiatrist was in each year since 1999; and how many in-patient beds there were for young psychiatric patients in each year.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not collected centrally. The most recent available information on waiting times is from the 2005 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) mapping exercise. In November 2005, there were 26,207 cases waiting to be seen by specialist CAMHS in England, a reduction of 2,674 from the previous year.
	52 per cent. of new cases were seen by specialist CAMHS within four weeks, an additional 33 per cent. within 13 weeks, and a further 10 per cent. within26 weeks. 5 per cent. of cases waited over 26 weeks to be seen by specialist CAMHS.
	The mapping exercise also collects information on the number of beds commissioned for Tier 4 in-patient care. The number of commissioned beds has increased by 4 per cent. from 651 reported in 2003 to 665 in 2004 and 680 in 2005.
	The Department is committed to ensuring that comprehensive CAMHS are available to all who need them. Our vision is set out in the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services, published in September 2004, which is available in the Library.

Mental Health

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to implement the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on entitlement to psychological therapy.

Rosie Winterton: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published guidelines on the treatment of depression and anxiety in December 2004. The guidance is available on the website www.nice.org.uk. NICE gave emphatic support to making evidence based psychological therapies available as an adjunct or alternative to drug treatments for the treatment of mild to moderate depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. The Department of Health has taken the following actions to help implement the NICE guidelines:
	included psychological therapies alongside drug treatments in the "National Service Framework for Mental Health" (1999) to show they are just as important as drug treatments, and sometimes preferred by service users;
	published an evidence-based guideline "Treatment Choice in Psychological Therapies and Counselling" in 2001 to help GPs and professionals know more about the most effective treatments for particular conditions;
	published the booklet "Choosing Talking Treatments" in 2001 for service users and carers to help them know the questions to ask when seeking psychological therapies or counselling;
	published the practical guidance "Organising and Delivering Psychological Therapies" in July 2004 to help local services understand what best practice should involve. It contains recommendations for how to deliver:
	acceptable, user-friendly services which involve users and carers, provide information and enhance engagement and choice;
	accessible services which manage waits, co-ordinate services and ensure times and locations are appropriate;
	equitable services which reduce inequalities and ensure access for black and minority ethnic and other under-served groups;
	cost-effective services which are targeted, evidence-based, effective and provided locally; and
	safe services in which staff are well-trained and supported, and which are connected to clinical governance systems.
	The Government are committed to improving mental health services and this is why we support increasing the availability of evidence based psychological therapies through our programme "Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies" (IAPT), which began in May. We made improving the availability of psychological therapies a manifesto commitment in 2005, and it was a commitment we also made in the "Our Health, our care, our say" White Paper. The need to increase access to psychological therapies was also highlighted by Professor Louis Appleby, the national director for mental health, in his 2004 report on the progress made in implementing the national service framework for mental health.
	IAPT will provide a more effective and timely access to psychological therapies for people with mild to moderate mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, and by increasing the choice of treatments available to mental health service users.
	IAPT consists of two national demonstration sites in Newham and Doncaster and a national programme of local projects in each of the National Institute for Mental Health in England's eight regional development centres. The sites will test the theory that improved access to talking therapies can help tackle suffering, promote the well-being of the general population and have a significant economic impact by returning to work more people with depression or anxiety or help them stay in employment.
	IAPT forms a key part of the Government's "Health, Work and Well-Being—Caring for Our Future" strategy. IAPT, together with initiatives from the Department for Work and Pensions and the Health and Safety Commission, will define the best way to achieve these improvements over the next five to ten years. We expect IAPT to provide robust evidence in favour of increasing psychological therapy capacity and this will help to clarify the numbers of staff, the skills set and the training requirements needed to do this.

Mesothelioma

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are receiving treatment for mesothelioma in each strategic health authority area.

Rosie Winterton: We do not have information on patients currently being treated as data are gathered retrospectively.
	Information on finished admission episodes and patient counts for 2004-05 where the primary diagnosis was mesothelioma is shown in the table. The information is broken down by the strategic health authorities based on the residency of patients, not where the patients are treated.
	
		
			  Count of Finished Admission Episodes and Patients Primary Diagnosis (ICD-10 C45.0, C45.1, C45.9) Mesothelioma NHS Hospitals, England 2004-05 
			  Strategic Health Authority of Residence  Finished admission episodes  Patient counts 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic HA 341 122 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic HA 85 52 
			 Essex Strategic HA 148 95 
			 North West London Strategic HA 81 41 
			 North Central London Strategic HA 57 31 
			 North East London Strategic HA 112 65 
			 South East London Strategic HA 151 57 
			 South West London Strategic HA 43 23 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic HA 295 135 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley Strategic HA 199 78 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Strategic HA 139 52 
			 West Yorkshire Strategic HA 131 79 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic HA 188 87 
			 Greater Manchester Strategic HA 267 86 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic HA 246 123 
			 Thames Valley Strategic HA 95 59 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic HA 138 107 
			 Kent and Medway Strategic HA 103 58 
			 Surrey and Sussex Strategic HA 167 100 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic HA 210 118 
			 South West Peninsula Strategic HA 184 84 
			 Dorset and Somerset Strategic HA 79 51 
			 South Yorkshire Strategic HA 103 52 
			 Trent Strategic HA 208 98 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland Strategic HA 162 66 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire Strategic HA 92 40 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country Strategic HA 82 46 
			 West Midlands South Strategic HA 76 41 
			 Wales 70 20 
			 Scotland * * 
			 Northern Ireland * * 
			 Foreign (inch Isle of Man and Channel Islands) 13 10 
			 Unknown * * 
			 England 4,270 2,080 
			  Notes: 1. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed). 2. Due to reasons of confidentiality, figures between 1 and 5 have been suppressed and replaced with "*" (an asterisk). 3. A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 4. Patient counts are based on the unique patient identifier HESID. This identifier is derived based on patient's date of birth, postcode, sex, local patient identifier and NHS number, using an agreed algorithm. Where data are incomplete, HESID might erroneously link episodes or fail to recognise episodes for the same patient. Care is therefore needed, especially where duplicate records persist in the data. The patient count cannot be summed across a table where patients may have episodes in more than one cell.  Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for Health and Social Care.

Organ Removal

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps she  (a) is taking and  (b) has taken to ensure that bereaved families wishing to raise issues regarding organ removal and retention in cases of sudden death which occurred before 2000 are provided with details of relevant post mortem reports;
	(2)  by what means she is publicising the rights of bereaved families to reclaim before 2007 organs which have been retained by hospitals without consent.

Rosie Winterton: In April 2001, ahead of a full review of the law in this area, the Government set up the Retained Organs Commission (ROC), a special health authority, to deal with issues arising from organ retention cases in England and Wales. The primary purpose of ROC was to manage the process by which national health service trusts provided information to relatives about retained organs and tissue and to ensure that organs and tissue were returned to those who requested them. In addition, ROC provided information and advocacy for relatives and families throughout this period.
	As part of its package of guidance, ROC made specific mention of the need to facilitate access to medical records wherever appropriate. ROC completed its work in March 2004. Thereafter, the Department funded a helpline provided by the National Bereavement Partnership, which ensures an on-going source of information and help for families.
	More recently, the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) was set up under the Human Tissue Act 2004, which applies to England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Separate legislation was introduced in Scotland under the Human Tissue (Scotland) Act 2006. The 2004 Act followed the fundamental review of the law. The HTA has now issued its own guidance in its code of practice on the "Removal, storage and disposal of human organs and tissue", which builds on and supersedes the previous guidance. The code sets out how NHS trusts should ensure full and sensitive communication around all aspects of requests for information, and to consider locally whether there is a need for any further publicity. In cases following a coronial post mortem, family members can request a copy of the report via the coroner's office.

Self-Care

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what work has been undertaken with NHS employers to  (a) embed self care in the knowledge and skills framework and  (b) embed self care in job descriptions and annual appraisals under Agenda for Change;
	(2)  what action her Department is taking to develop a self care competency framework for NHS staff.

Ivan Lewis: Skills for Health and Skills for Care will be consulting on a common core of self care competences towards the end of the year. These have been developed in collaboration with carer and service user organisations and the Department. Work with national health service employers will follow on from the establishment of the common core competences.

Self-Care

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what monitoring her Department is undertaking of the implementation of self care strategies; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: No targets have been set regarding implementation of self care strategies. Self care is part of the Government's strategy to put people more in control, to make services more responsive, to focus on those with complex needs and to shift care closer to home.
	The Government's framework document for self care strategies is set out in "Supporting people with long term conditions to Self Care—a guide to developing local strategies and best practice" a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

Services Commissioning

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been produced for strategic health authorities and primary care trusts in commissioning services through the NHS and Social Care Conditions Model; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: On 13 July 2006, the Department published "Health Reform in England: update and commissioning framework". This document and its supporting annex provided detailed guidance to strategic health authorities and primary care trusts on commissioning. The commissioning framework set out how commissioning will be strengthened through greater clinical and community engagement, better information, a range of new incentives and leversfor commissioners, and through developing commissioners' capacity and capability. It included a particular focus on commissioning for hospital services covered by patient choice and the payment by results tariff.
	A second phase of the commissioning framework is currently being developed for publication at the endof the year. This will focus on strengthening commissioning for improved health and wellbeing and the joint commissioning relationship between health and social care. It will particularly emphasise how services for people with long-term conditions should be commissioned and will include a review of social care commissioning.